Synthetic Circular RNA Functions as a miR-21 Sponge to Suppress Gastric Carcinoma Cell Proliferation.

{"sci_version": "1.2", "schema": "https://corpus.bntrg.co.uk/sci/1.0/sci.schema.json", "id": "pmid:30326427", "kind": "science-record", "revision": 8, "content_hash": "sha256:2b009a7bbecf0311d2e0cd591d0e6c0f647fa1dc6ba89f3dc3ec082891d09af0", "created_at": "2026-11-01T15:40:38Z", "updated_at": "2026-11-01T22:43:35Z", "generator": {"name": "corpus-assay-engine", "run_id": "reading-sci-2026-11-01"}, "paper": {"state": "complete", "title": "Synthetic Circular RNA Functions as a miR-21 Sponge to Suppress Gastric Carcinoma Cell Proliferation.", "doi": "10.1016/j.omtn.2018.09.010", "pmid": "30326427", "authors": ["Xi Liu", "John M Abraham", "Yulan Cheng", "Zhixiong Wang", "Zhe Wang", "Guanjun Zhang", "Hassan Ashktorab", "Duane T Smoot", "Robert N Cole", "Tatiana N Boronina", "Lauren R DeVine", "C Conover Talbot", "Zhengwen Liu", "Stephen J Meltzer"], "journal": "Molecular therapy. Nucleic acids", "year": 2018, "abstract": "MicroRNA (miR) sponges containing miR binding sequences constitute a potentially powerful molecular therapeutic strategy. Recently, naturally occurring circular RNAs (circRNAs) were shown to function as efficient miR sponges in cancer cells. We hypothesized that synthetic circRNA sponges could achieve therapeutic loss-of-function targeted against specific miRs. Linear RNA molecules containing miR-21 binding sites were transcribed in vitro; after dephosphorylation and phosphorylation, circularization was achieved using 5'-3' end-ligation by T4 RNA ligase 1. circRNA stability was assessed using RNase R and fetal bovine serum. Competitive inhibition of miR-21 activity by a synthetic circRNA sponge was assessed using luciferase reporter, cell proliferation, and cell apoptosis assays in three gastric cancer cell lines. circRNA effects on downstream proteins were also delineated by Tandem Mass Tag (TMT) labeling (data available via ProteomeXchange identifier PRIDE: PXD008584), followed by western blotting. We conclude that artificial circRNA sponges resistant to nuclease digestion can be synthesized using simple enzymatic ligation steps. These sponges inhibit cancer cell proliferation and suppress the activity of miR-21 on downstream protein targets, including the cancer protein DAXX. In summary, synthetic circRNA sponges represent a simple, effective, convenient strategy for achieving targeted loss of miR function in vitro, with potential future therapeutic application in human patients.", "claims": [{"id": "claim-method", "statement": "After the data were combined and data without expression were filtered out, differential miR expression analysis was carried out using the Bioconductor package EdgeR, based on R Project version 3.5.1.", "kind": "methodological", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:30326427", "locator": "sections[11] \"Differential miR-21 Expression in TCGA Patients\" paragraph 2", "quote": "After the data were combined and data without expression were filtered out, differential miR expression analysis was carried out using the Bioconductor package EdgeR, based on R Project version 3.5.1."}], "state": "complete"}, {"id": "claim-data-access", "statement": "The mass spectrometry proteomics data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE partner repository with the dataset identifier PRIDE: PXD008584.", "kind": "methodological", "target": null, "evidence": [{"asset": "source:pmid:30326427", "locator": "sections[24] \"TMT Labeling and Proteomics Analyses\" paragraph 3", "quote": "The mass spectrometry proteomics data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange Consortium via the PRIDE partner repository with the dataset identifier PRIDE: PXD008584."}], "state": "complete"}], "gaps": []}, "experiment": {"state": "partial", "objective": null, "steps": [{"id": "read_published_estimate", "order": 1, "name": "Read the published estimate from the source", "kind": "other", "state": "complete", "blocked_on": null, "description": "The claim, method and evidence span published with the source article.", "duration_hours": null, "parameters": {}, "inputs": ["source:pmid:30326427"], "outputs": ["the published estimate and its evidence"], "instruments": [], "reagents": []}, {"id": "obtain_source_data", "order": 2, "name": "Obtain the source data from the named repository", "kind": "data-preparation", "state": "blocked", "blocked_on": "data:accession_absent", "description": "The GEO series accession resolves and its sample accessions are listed. 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