Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41132646›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2025

circWWC3 enhances the progression of triple-negative breast cancer by interacting with vimentin to regulate the secretion of CSF2.

Ming Wu, Yifan Du, Yuyang Dong, Yang Zheng, Lina Gu, Xiaojun Tang, Li Yan, Hong Ji, Yang Sang, Fei Liu

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Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Ming WuDepartment of Histology and Embryology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Yifan DuDepartment of Histology and Embryology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Yuyang DongResearch Center, the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Yang ZhengResearch Center, the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Lina GuResearch Center, the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Xiaojun TangThe Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
Li YanDepartment of General Surgery, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Hong JiDepartment of General Surgery, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Yang SangLaboratory Animal Center, the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.
Fei LiuResearch Center, the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to be important in the development and progression of breast cancer. Nevertheless, the biological functions and mechanisms underlying the action of circRNAs in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remain poorly understood. The present study aimed to explore the role of hsa_circ_0001910 (also termed circWWC3) interacting with vimentin in regulating the secretion of Colony Stimulating Factor 2 (CSF2) and its effects on the malignant biological behavior of triple-negative breast cancer as well as the cytotoxic activity of NK cells. Methods: RNA-Seq was utilized to investigate potential circRNAs involved in five pairs of breast cancer (BC) tissues and their corresponding normal tissues. Fluorescence Results: In our present study, Circular RNA sequencing analysis revealed that the expression of circWWC3 was significantly upregulated in breast cancer (BC). FISH assay results indicated that circWWC3 is highly expressed in TNBC, and its elevated expression is associated with the patient's T stage and lymph node metastasis, and it is primarily localized in the cytoplasm. The results of gain- and loss-of-function assays indicate that knockdown of circWWC3 significantly suppressed the proliferation, invasion, and migration of TNBC cells, while enhancing the killing efficiency of NK-92MI cells against TNBC cells. In contrast, overexpression of circWWC3 exhibited the opposite effects. The microarray analysis data indicated that CSF2 may be a downstream target of circWWC3. Interaction of circWWC3 with vimentin and their downstream target genes was confirmed by RNA pull-down, RIP, and mass spectrometry. Rescue experiments confirmed that vimentin knockdown partially counteracted the tumor-promoting effects of circWWC3. Further analysis revealed that circWWC3 upregulates CSF2 secretion mainly through its interaction with vimentin, a core component of the Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling pathway, thereby facilitating the malignant progression of TNBC. Conclusion: Overall, our findings reveal that elevated expression of circWWC3 serves a role in the malignant progression of TNBC by directly interacting with the S56 phosphorylation site of vimentin, an interaction that is associated with increased secretion of CSF2. Furthermore, circWWC3 emerges as a potential biomarker for breast cancer diagnosis and presents an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of TNBC.

Indexed as

RNA, CircularTriple Negative Breast NeoplasmsVimentinAnimalsCell Line, TumorCell MovementCell ProliferationDisease ProgressionFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMiceMiddle AgedRNA, CircularVimentinVIM protein, humancircWWC3CSF2epithelial- mesenchymal transitiontriple negative breast cancervimentin

Identifiers

PMID41132646
PMCPMC12540408

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.