CircSEMA4B inhibits the progression of breast cancer by encoding a novel protein SEMA4B-211aa and regulating AKT phosphorylation

PI3K/AKT signaling pathway plays an important role in regulating the tumorigenesis, recurrence, and metastasis of breast cancer (BC). In this study, we discovered a circRNA with protein-coding potential, which we named circSEMA4B. CircSEMA4B could encode a novel protein, SEMA4B-211aa. Both circSEMA4B and SEMA4B-211aa were remarkably downregulated in BC tissues and cell lines. Low expression of circSEMA4B was positively associated with TNM stage, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis of BC patients. The functional investigation showed that circSEMA4B and SEMA4B-211aa could significantly inhibit the proliferation and migration of BC in vivo and in vitro. Of note, SEMA4B-211aa inhibited the generation of PIP3 by binding to p85, thereby inhibiting the phosphorylation of AKT (Thr308). CircSEMA4B inhibited the phosphorylation of AKT (Ser473) through miR-330-3p/PDCD4 axis. Taken together, circSEMA4B is a novel negative regulator of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, providing novel mechanistic insights into the underlying mechanisms of BC.

Automated summary

In this study, a novel circRNA called circSEMA4B was identified, which could encode a protein called SEMA4B-211aa. Both circSEMA4B and SEMA4B-211aa were downregulated in breast cancer tissues and cell lines. Functional investigation revealed that circSEMA4B and SEMA4B-211aa could inhibit the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells. CircSEMA4B inhibited AKT phosphorylation through the miR-330-3p/PDCD4 axis, while SEMA4B-211aa inhibited AKT phosphorylation by binding to p85.