Journal of Radiation Oncology & Research

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Exosomal Circular RNA hsa_circ0009128 Promotes Peripheral Nerve Remodeling in Pancreatic Cancer by Regulating the miR-30c-5p/UNC5C Axis

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC)-associated Neural Remodeling (PANR) is a common and characteristic feature of PDAC that is related to generation of pain, poor prognosis, and tumor recurrence. However, the molecular mechanisms in cancer cells and nerves within PANR have not previously been comprehensively analyzed. Exosomes or circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been reported to exert important regulatory and/or communication roles in PANR, which is characterized by pathogenic modifications to the peripheral nervous system that enhance metastatic capacity of PDAC. In our study, an in vitro model of PANR was constructed through a co-culture system comprising PDAC cell lines and murine Dorsal Root Ganglia (DRG) as the neuronal element. In addition, using circRNA sequencing, we identified that circ0009128 was significantly up regulated in exosomes derived from cell culture media and PTC patient serum. Futher more, using an in vitro model of PANR, circ0009128 could enter murine DRG cells through exosomes, and murinecirc0009128 induced PANR. Mechanistically, circ0009128 contained multiple miRNA binding targets, functioning as a sponge for miR-30c-5p, which in turn promoted expression of UNC5C. These results concluded that exosomal circ0009128 promoted PANR via the miR-30c-5p/UNC5C axis, identifying that it may contributed to PDAC progression.

Weiqi Dai1 , Wenqiang Xu1 , Jianqing Chen1 , Weijie Sun2 , Wenhui Mo1 , Yueyue Li1 , Jiaojiao Chen1 , Dengyu Han3 , Yuqi Liu3 , Xuanfu Xu1# and Ruling Zhang4*