Pathological expression of mitochondrial genome-derived circRNA SCAR/mc-COX2 and its ceRNA network in colorectal cancer: implications for clinical significance

Q: What was the main goal of the study on SCAR/mc-COX2 in colorectal cancer?

To determine the expression profile of SCAR/mc-COX2 in colorectal cancer and analyze its association with clinicopathological variables. The study also built a ceRNA network to explore functional relevance.

Q: How was SCAR/mc-COX2 expression measured and in what samples?

Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to assess SCAR/mc-COX2 in 40 colorectal cancer sample pairs, including 40 tumor samples and 40 adjacent non-tumoral samples.

Q: What diagnostic performance did SCAR/mc-COX2 show?

ROC curve analysis reported an AUC of 0.77, with 80% sensitivity and 75% specificity, supporting its potential as a biomarker.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Miles

Background: Mitochondrial-encoded circular RNAs (mecciRNAs) are mitochondrial-derived non-coding RNAs with key cellular functions. This study assessed the expression profile of SCAR/mc-COX2 (has_circ_0089762) in colorectal cancer and evaluated its relationship with clinicopathological variables. To clarify potential mechanisms, a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network centered on SCAR/mc-COX2 was constructed. Methods: qRT-PCR measured SCAR/mc-COX2 in 40 CRC tumor/adjacent non-tumor pairs, followed by bioinformatics network building and KEGG/GO analyses. Results showed reduced expression in tumors and diagnostic associations (AUC 0.77).

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Overview of colorectal cancer

Tumor microenvironment and mitochondrial dysfunction

Keywords

Nourbakhsh et al. BMC Cancer (2025) 25:466 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-13886-7](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-13886-7) BMC Cancer RESEARCH Open Access Pathological expression of mitochondrial genome-derived circRNA SCAR/mc-COX2 and its ceRNA network in colorectal cancer: implications for clinical significance Seyed Taha Nourbakhsh 1, Seyed Abbas Mirzaei2, Fatemeh Mohamadhashem3, Mohammad Mehdi Naghizadeh4, Amir Nader Razavi5, Yaser Mansoori4,6, Abdolreza Daraei7,8* and Faezeh Mohamadhashem9* Abstract Background Mitochondrial-encoded circular RNAs (mecciRNAs) are a newly discovered class of mitochondrialencoded non-coding RNAs (mt-ncRNAs) that play important biological roles in the cell. This study aimed to examine the expression profile of SCAR/mc-COX2 (has_circ_ 0089762) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and its relationship with clinicopathological variables. Furthermore, to better understand SCAR/mc-COX2’s functional role in CRC, we constructed a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network. Methods Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was employed to analyze the expression levels of SCAR/mc-COX2 in 40 pairs of CRC samples, consisting of 40 tumor samples and 40 adjacent non-tumoral samples from patients. The ceRNA regulatory network was constructed using online bioinformatics tools. Furthermore, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis were conducted using the Enrichr database. Results The results demonstrated a significant decrease in SCAR/mc-COX2 expression in tumor tissues com pared to adjacent non-tumoral tissues (p-value<0 . 05) . In another finding, a significant relationship was observed between pathological T staging and the expression status of SCAR/mc-COX2 (p-value=0 . 02) . Additionally, the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that SCAR/mc-COX2 had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0 . 77, with 80% sensitivity and 75% specificity. Finally, a ceRNA regulatory network including SCAR/mc-COX2, 5 miRNA, and 9 mRNAs was found. Conclusion These findings suggest that SCAR/mc-COX2 may act as a tumor suppressor in CRC, and its dysregulation could play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of this cancer. The significant association with pathological T staging and its robust diagnostic performance (AUC = 0 . 77, sensitivity = 80%, specificity = 75%) highlight its potential *Correspondence: Abdolreza Daraei[a.daraei@mubabol.ac.ir](a.daraei@mubabol.ac.ir)[ ](a.daraei@mubabol.ac.ir)Faezeh Mohamadhashem [f-mohamadhashem@alumnus.tums.ac.ir](f-mohamadhashem@alumnus.tums.ac.ir); faezeh. mohamadhashem@ [gmail.com](gmail.com) Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, 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 you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. 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-nc-nd/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.)[.](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.) Nourbakhsh et al. BMC Cancer (2025) 25:466 Page 2 of 15 as a novel biomarker

FAQs

What was the main goal of the study on SCAR/mc-COX2 in colorectal cancer?

To determine the expression profile of SCAR/mc-COX2 in colorectal cancer and analyze its association with clinicopathological variables. The study also built a ceRNA network to explore functional relevance.

How was SCAR/mc-COX2 expression measured and in what samples?

Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to assess SCAR/mc-COX2 in 40 colorectal cancer sample pairs, including 40 tumor samples and 40 adjacent non-tumoral samples.

What diagnostic performance did SCAR/mc-COX2 show?

ROC curve analysis reported an AUC of 0.77, with 80% sensitivity and 75% specificity, supporting its potential as a biomarker.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Miles