Identification of a circRNA/miRNA/mRNA ceRNA Network as a Cell Cycle-Related Regulator for Chronic Sinusitis with Nasal Polyps

Qi Sun; Zhen Liu; Xiangya Xu; Yujuan Yang; Xiao Han; Cai Wang; Fei Song; Yakui Mou; Yumei Li; Xicheng Song

doi:10.2147/JIR.S358387

Identification of a circRNA/miRNA/mRNA ceRNA Network as a Cell Cycle-Related Regulator for Chronic Sinusitis with Nasal Polyps

J Inflamm Res. 2022 Apr 23:15:2601-2615. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S358387. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Qi Sun^#^{1

2}, Zhen Liu^#^{1

2}, Xiangya Xu^#¹, Yujuan Yang^{1

2}, Xiao Han^{1

2}, Cai Wang^{1

2

3}, Fei Song^{1

2

4}, Yakui Mou^{1

2}, Yumei Li^{1

2}, Xicheng Song^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Qingdao University, Yantai, People's Republic of China.
² Shandong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital, Yantai, People's Republic of China.
³ School of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Department of Binzhou Medical University, Clinical Medical College Second, Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, People's Republic of China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the mechanisms by which circRNA/miRNA/mRNA competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) networks regulate CRSwNP.

Methods: The expression profiles of circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs from patients with CRSwNP and control subjects were acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The circRNA/miRNA/mRNA ceRNA network was constructed based on the predicted circRNA-miRNA interactions and miRNA-mRNA interactions. Hub-mRNAs were screened by protein-protein interaction network analysis and Cytoscape molecular complex detection. The expression of factors in tissue and in hsa_circ_0031594 siRNA transfection cells was verified by RT-qPCR and the association between them was revealed by Spearman correlation analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed with the pROC R package.

Results: The differential expression of 5423 circRNAs, 415 miRNAs, and 3673 mRNAs was identified in CRSwNP subjects compared to control subjects. Among these, 9 circRNAs, 39 miRNAs, and 78 mRNAs were screened to construct a ceRNA network. Ultimately, a subnetwork including circRNA hsa_circ_0031594, hsa-miR-1260b, hsa-miR-6507-5p, NCAPG2, RACGAP1, CHEK1 and PRC1 was screened out. RT-qPCR validated that the expression of hsa_circ_0031594, NCAPG2, PRC1 was significantly increased, and hsa-miR-1260b and hsa-miR-6507-5p were expressed significantly less in patients with CRSwNP than in control subjects. In addition, the AUCs of hsa_circ_0031594, hsa-miR-1260b, hsa-miR-6507-5p, NCAPG2, and PRC1 to discriminate CRSwNP patients were 0.995, 0.842, 0.862, 0.765, and 0.816. Spearman correlation showed that the expression of hsa_circ_0031594 was negatively correlated with hsa-miR-1260b and hsa-miR-6507-5p, and positively correlated with NCAPG2 and PRC1. In human nasal epithelial cell (HNEpC) line, knocking down hsa_circ_0031594 could increase the expression of hsa-miR-1260b and hsa-miR-6507-5p, and reduce the expression of NCAPG2 and PRC1.

Conclusion: CeRNA networks including hsa_circ_0031594, hsa-miR-1260b, and NCAPG2, and hsa_circ_0031594, hsa-miR-6507-5p, and PRC1 may be key regulators for CRSwNP occurrence, and may be potential targets for the pathogenesis and treatment development of CRSwNP.

Keywords: CRSwNP; ceRNA network; circRNA; mRNA; miRNA.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82071021), and the Major Scientific and Technological Innovation Project of Shandong Province (2020CXGC011302).