Circular RNA circ_0004630 promotes malignancy and glycolysis of nonsmall cell lung cancer by sponging microRNA-1208 and regulating leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 expression

Emerging evidence has discovered that circular RNAs play important regulators of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but the role and potential molecular mechanism of hsa_circ_100549 (circ_0004630) involved in NSCLC is poorly defined. In this study, circ_0004630, microRNA-1208 (miR-1208), and leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) expression were detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cell proliferation, colony formation, apoptosis, and invasion were assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT), 5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine, colony formation, flow cytometry, and transwell assays. Protein levels of glucose transporter 1, Hexokinase 2, and LRRK2 were detected using western blot assay. Glucose consumption, lactate production, and adenosine triphosphate content were assessed using the corresponding kits. After predicting via bioinformatics software Circinteractome and Targetscan, the binding between miR-1208 and circ_0004630 or LRRK2 was verified by a dual-luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation, and RNA pull-down assay. The xenograft tumor model analyzed the biological role circ_000460 on tumor growth in vivo. It was found that circ_0004630 and LRRK2 were increased, and miR-1208 was low expression in NSCLC tissues and cells. Functionally, the downregulation of circ_0004630 inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation, invasion, glycolysis, and accelerated apoptosis in vitro. In mechanism, circ_0004630 might work as a sponge of miR-1208 to modulate LRRK2 expression. In addition, DUXAP8 deficiency cured neuroblastoma tumor growth in vivo. In conclusion, circ_0004630 knockdown might suppress NSCLC cell proliferation, metastasis, and glycolysis partly by the miR-1208/LRRK2 axis. Our findings hinted at an important theoretical basis for further elucidating the pathogenesis of NSCLC and targeted therapy.