CircRNA circ_0001821 predicts an unfavorable prognosis and promotes the proliferation of multiple myeloma

Abstract

Background: A previous study reported circ_0001821 serves as a new diagnostic biomarker in lung and gastric cancer. However, whether circ_0001821 associates with the development of multiple myeloma is still unclear. Objective: To investigate the clinical significance and biological function of circ_0001821 in human multiple myeloma. Methods: The expression of circ_0001821 in bone marrow tissues and cell lines of multiple myeloma was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. The relationship between circ_0001821 expression and clinicopathological characteristics in multiple myeloma patients was determined by the Chi-square test. MTT, Western blotting analysis and flow cytometry were performed to evaluate the impact of circ_0001821 on cell proliferation and apoptosis. Results: Circ_0001821 expression was increased in bone marrow tissues and cell lines from multiple myeloma compared with that in normal controls, and its expression was related to hemoglobin, bone injury, β2-MG, and globulin. In multiple myeloma patients aged ≥60 years, high circ_0001821 expression displayed lower overall survival (OS) rate compared with low circ_0001821 expression. High circ_0001821 expression was an independent prognostic indicator for the poor OS. Furthermore, the expression of Caspase-3 protein was lower in patients with high circ_0001821 expression than that in those patients with low circ_0001821expression. Overexpression of circ_0001821 led to increased proliferation and arrested apoptosis of multiple myeloma cells, while knockdown of circ_0001821 had the opposite effects. Conclusion: High expression of circ_0001821 associated with aggressive pathological indicators and predicted a poor prognosis in multiple myeloma. Circ_0001821 played an oncogenic role in multiple myeloma by modulating cell proliferation and apoptosis.