Exosomal circSTRBP from cancer cells facilitates gastric cancer progression via regulating miR-1294/miR-593-3p/E2F2 axis

Sep 21, 2026

CircRNAs represent a class of non-coding RNAs with aberrant expression across cancers. circSTRBP is reported to be overexpressed in gastric cancer (GC), yet its function in GC progression and underlying mechanism remain unclear. This study quantifies circSTRBP in GC cells and tissues by RT-qPCR, evaluates stability using actinomycin D and RNase R, and assesses phenotypes after knockdown via proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenesis assays. circSTRBP-exosome effects and the miRNA-mediated mechanism are examined using RNA immunoprecipitation, luciferase assays, and xenograft models, identifying regulation of the miR-1294/miR-593-3p/E2F2 axis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Gastric cancer burden and treatment overview

circRNAs as biomarkers and functional ncRNAs

circSTRBP rationale and study aims

DOI: 10. 1111/jcmm.18217 OR I G I NAL ART I C L E Exosomal circSTRBP from cancer cells facilitates gastric cancer progression via regulating miR-1294/miR-593-3p/E2F2 axis Yin Wang1 | Rong Zou2 | Deke Li3 | Xiankui Gao1 | Xingjun Lu1 1Department of Gastroenterology, Bozhou Hospital affiliated to Anhui Medical University, Bozhou, China 2Department of Gastroenterology, Wuhan Puren Hospital, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China 3 Department of Anesthesiology, The Fifth Hospital of Wuhan, China Correspondence Xingjun Lu, Duzhong Road, Qiaocheng District, Bozhou City 236814, Anhui Province, China. Email: [bghf147@163.com](bghf147@163.com) Funding information 2021 Bozhou City major research and development project, Grant/Award Number: bzzc2021023 Abstract CircRNAs represent a new class of non-coding RNAs which show aberrant expression in diverse cancers, such as gastric cancer (GC) . circSTRBP, for instance, is suggested to be overexpressed in GC cells and tissues. However, the biological role of circSTRBPin the progression of GC and the potential mechanisms have not been investigated. circSTRBP levels within GC cells and tissues were measured by RT-qPCR. The stability of circSTRBP was assessed by actinomycin D and Ribonuclease R treatment. Cell proliferation, migration, invasion and in vitro angiogenic abilities after circSTRBP knockdown were analysed through CCK-8 assay, transwell culture system and the tube formation assay. The interaction of circSTRBP with the predicted target microRNA (miRNA) was examined by RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays. Xenograft tumour model was established to evaluate the role of exosomalcircSTRBP in the tumour formation of GC cells. circSTRBP was upregulated in GC cells and tissues, and there was an increased level of circSTRBP in GC-derived exosomes. circSTRBP in the exosomes enhanced GC cell growth and migration in vitro, which modulates E2F Transcription Factor 2 (E2F2) expression through targeting miR-1294 and miR-593-3p. Additionally, exosomal circSTRBP promoted the tumour growth of GC cells in the xenograft model. Exosomal circSTRBP is implicated in the progression of GC by modulating the activity of miR-1294/miR-593-3p/E2F2 axis. K E Y WO R D S circRNA, circSTRBP, E2F2 by modulating, exosome, gastric cancer, miRNA 1 | INTRODUCTION Gastric cancer (GC) is ranked as the fifth most prevalent malignancies globally, with over 1 million new cases reported annually.1 The highest rate is reported in East and Central Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe.2 Multiple risk factors are associated with the occurrence of GC, such as age, gender, infection with Helicobacter pylori, low vegetable consumption, high-salt intake and tobacco smoking.2 Unfortunately, GC is asymptomatic at the early stage, and the patients gradually develop symptoms such as dyspepsia, anorexia, unintentional weight loss and abdominal pain with the disease progression. GC-related mortality is high due to the high frequency of diagnosis at advanced stages, and the death in GC patients accounts for the third most cancer-associated mortality worldwide.1 Endoscopic or surgical resection is the first-line treatment for the primary and localized GC. GC patients with metastasis is difficult to Yin Wang, Deke Li and Rong Zou are contributed equally to this work. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. treat, and systemic chemotherapy is generally applied to prolong the life span of the patients.1,3 Advancement in molecular technology has enabled the identification of biomarkers for the diagnostic and prognostic purposes, as well as the biomarkers with th

FAQs

What is circSTRBP and why is it investigated in gastric cancer?

circSTRBP is a circular RNA suggested to be overexpressed in gastric cancer cells and tissues. Its role in GC progression and the mechanisms involved had not been clarified before this study.

How does the study examine circSTRBP function in gastric cancer?

circSTRBP levels are measured by RT-qPCR, stability is tested with actinomycin D and RNase R, and cell behaviors (proliferation, migration, invasion, and angiogenic ability) are evaluated after knockdown using assays such as CCK-8, transwell, and tube formation.

Which molecular pathway does exosomal circSTRBP regulate?

Exosomal circSTRBP modulates E2F2 expression by targeting miR-1294 and miR-593-3p, implicating the miR-1294/miR-593-3p/E2F2 axis in gastric cancer progression.

Sep 21, 2026

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