Expression of circ-PHC3 enhances ovarian cancer progression via regulation of the miR-497-5p/SOX9 pathway

Sep 24, 2026

Increasing evidence shows circular RNAs (circRNAs) can drive tumor progression by regulating gene expression, yet circRNA expression patterns and functions in human ovarian carcinoma remain incompletely defined. Deep sequencing profiled circRNAs from OC samples and matched adjacent normal tissues, followed by RT-qPCR validation of circ-PHC3. Functional assays evaluated miR-497-5p and SOX9 gain/loss of function and circ-PHC3 knockdown to define how circ-PHC3 regulates OC proliferation and metastasis through the miR-497-5p/SOX9 axis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Wang et al. Journal of Ovarian Research (2023) 16:142 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s13048-023-01170-w](https://doi.org/10.1186/s13048-023-01170-w) Journal of Ovarian Research RESEARCH Open Access Expression of circ-PHC3 enhances ovarian cancer progression via regulation of the miR-497-5p/SOX9 pathway Hongxia Wang1†, Suwei Lan1†, Lingxiang Wang1, Jingyun Zhao2, Xinzhuan Jia2, Jie Xu1,3, Guangyu Sun 1, Leilei Liu1, Shan Gong1, Na Wang1, Baoen Shan4, Fenghua Zhang5* and Zhengmao Zhang1* Abstract Background Accumulating studies have reported indispensable functions of circular RNAs (circRNA) in tumor progression through regulation of gene expression. However, circRNA expression profiles and functions in human ovarian carcinoma (OC) are yet to be fully established. Methods In this research, deep sequencing of circRNAs from OC samples and paired adjacent normal tissues was performed to establish expression profiles and circ-PHC3 levels between the groups further compared using RTqPCR. The effects of ectopic overexpression of miR-497-5p and SOX9 and siRNA-mediated knockdown of circ-PHC3 and an miR-497-5p inhibitor were explored to clarify the regulatory mechanisms underlying circ-PHC3 activity in OC proliferation and metastasis. Information from public databases and the luciferase reporter assay were further utilized to examine the potential correlations among circ-PHC3, miR-497-5p and SOX9 . Results Our results showed significant upregulation of circ-PHC3 in both OC cell lines and tissues. In the luciferase reporter assay, downregulation of circ-PHC3 led to suppression of metastasis and proliferation, potentially through targeted effects on the miR-497-5p/SOX9 axis in OC. SOX9 overexpression or miR-497-5p suppression rescued OC cell proliferation and invasion following silencing of circ-PHC3 . Moreover, SOX9 inhibition induced restoration of OC cell invasion and proliferation under conditions of overexpression of miR-497-5p. Thus, circ-PHC3 appears to exert effects on cancer stem cell differentiation through regulation of the miR-497-5p/SOX9 axis. Conclusion Taken together, our findings suggest that circ-PHC3 enhances OC progression through functioning as an miR-497-5p sponge to promote SOX9 expression, supporting its potential as a promising candidate target for OC therapy. Keywords Circ-PHC3, Ovarian cancer, SOX9, miR-497-5p, Cancer stem cell †Hongxia Wang and Suwei Lan contributed equally to this work and share first authorship. *Correspondence: Fenghua Zhang [z139338@126.com](z139338@126.com)[ ](z139338@126.com)Zhengmao Zhang [1356606@vip.sina.com](1356606@vip.sina.com) Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ()[. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ()[http://creativeco](http://creativeco)[mmons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/](mmons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)) applies to the data made available in this a

FAQs

What is the main focus of this study on ovarian cancer?

The study investigates how circ-PHC3 influences ovarian cancer progression by regulating the miR-497-5p/SOX9 pathway.

How were circ-PHC3 expression levels evaluated between groups?

CircRNA profiles were established using deep sequencing, and circ-PHC3 levels were compared between groups with RT-qPCR.

What happens to ovarian cancer proliferation and metastasis when circ-PHC3 is suppressed?

Downregulation of circ-PHC3 suppresses metastasis and proliferation, associated with effects on the miR-497-5p/SOX9 axis.

Sep 24, 2026

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