Circ_0008768 Suppresses the Pancreatic Cancer Progression via miR-330- 3p/PTEN Axis

Objective: To probe the role of circular RNA_0008768 (circ_0008768) in the development of pancreatic cancer (PC) and its regulatory mechanism. Methods: The expression levels of circ_0008768, miR-330-3p, and PTEN mRNA in PC tissues and cells were detected using qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion of PC cells were detected by CCK-8 method, EdU method, and Transwell assay. The targeting relationship between circ_0008768 and miR-330-3p, as well as miR-330-3p and PTEN mRNA 3'UTR was analyzed by the dual-luciferase reporter assay. PTEN expression levels in PC cells were analyzed by Western blot. Results: The expression levels of circ_0008768 and PTEN mRNA were significantly reduced in both PC tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of circ_0008768 exerted an inhibitory effect on the proliferation, migration and invasion of PC cells. Knocking down circ_0008768 showed the opposite effect. Circ_0008768 directly targeted and negatively regulated the expression of miR-330- 3p. PTEN was identified as a downstream target gene of miR-330-3p. Circ_0008768 could positively regulate the expression of PTEN. Conclusion: In PC, circ_0008768 can act as a tumor-suppressive factor to inhibit the development of PC by regulating the miR-330-3p/PTEN molecular axis.