Circular RNA CDR1as sponges miR-7-5p to enhance E2F3 stability and promote the growth of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Circular RNA (circRNA) CDR1as plays an important role in the occurrence and development of human tumors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the molecular mechanism of circRNA CDR1as in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The mRNA expressions of circRNA CDR1as, miR-7-5p, and E2F3 were detected by qRT-PCR. The effects of circRNA CDR1as, miR-7-5p, and E2F3 on NPC cells were investigated using cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) method, colony formation assay, and representative metabolite assay. The molecular mechanism of circRNA CDR1 in NPC was studied by bioinformatics and luciferase reporter assay. In addition, the biological activity of circRNA CDR1as was also investigated in NPC xenograft tumor mice model. The results showed that the circRNA CDR1as expression was significantly up-regulated in NPC tissues by comparison with non-tumor NPE tissues (