Circ_0001361/miR-490-5p/IGF2 Axis Regulates the Viability and Apoptosis of Neuroblastoma Cells

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in the neuroblastoma (NB) development. Objectie: The study aimed to determine the biological behaviors of circ_0001361 and explore its underlying mechanism in NB. Methods: The circ_0001361, miR-490-5p, and IGF2 levels were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cellular processes were analyzed using MTT assay or fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Phosphorylated (p)-PI3K, p-AKT, Bax, and caspase-3 were tested by western blot. Dual-luciferase reporter analysis together with RNA pull-down analysis were utilized to evaluate the correlation of miR-490-5p and circ_0001361 or IGF2. Results: The results in this study illustrated that an elevation of circ_0001361 levels was observed in NB. Depletion of circ_0001361 suppressed the viability but facilitated apoptosis of NB cells. Circ_0001361 sponged miR-490-5p, which targeted to regulate IGF2. Inhibition of miR-490-5p rescued the effect induced by circ_0001361 knockdown, while deletion of IGF2 rescued the effect induced by the miR-490-5p inhibitor. Conclusions: In summary, a loss of circ_0001361 inhibited NB progression via targeting the miR-490-5p/IGF2 axis, suggesting that circ_0001361 may be a novel therapeutical target of NB.