Altered Expression of hsa_circ_0001445 and hsa_circ_0020397 in Breast Cancer Representing Associations with BMI and Reproductive Factors

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), one of the recent subclasses of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), show pivotal functions in regulation of gene expression and have significant roles in malignancies including breast cancer (BC). This study was aimed to assess the hsa_circ_0001445 and hsa_circ_0020397 expression and role in BC, as well as the potential circRNA/miRNA/mRNA crosstalk in these contexts. The expression of hsa_circ_0001445 and hsa_circ_0020397 in 50 breast tumors and 50 normal tissues adjacent to the tumors was investigated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Finally, bioinformatics analyses were used to uncover hsa_circ_0001445, hsa_circ_0020397-miRNA-mRNA potential regulatory networks. The hsa_circ_0001445 expression was considerably downregulated in malignant tissues compared to their normal counterparts ( =0.020), while the hsa_circ_0020397 showed an upregulated pattern (