CircRNA hsa_circ_0004771 promotes esophageal squamous cell cancer progression via miR-339-5p/CDC25A axis

The role of circRNAs in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) remains unclear. Here we profiled six pair plasma circRNA in ESCC based on RNA sequencing, and then verified the elevation of hsa_circ_0004771 in 20 cancer tissues and 105 pair case–control plasma samples by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. The upregulation of hsa_circ_0004771 was correlated with heavier tumor burden and poor prognosis, knockdown of it inhibited the ESCC cells proliferation both and . Mechanistically, hsa_circ_0004771 positively regulated CDC25A by acting as a molecular sponge of miR-339-5p and rescue assay confirmed this regulatory relationship. These results suggested that hsa_circ_0004771 can serve as a general less-invasive biomarker and may provide diagnostic and prognostic value in carcinoma.