Bioinformatics evaluation of the circRNA–miRNA–mRNA axis in cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Aim: Cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC) is a highly prevalent women’s gynecologic disease. Because the specific mechanisms associated with the illness are still mostly unclear, more investigation is needed to comprehend the triggers of CESC’s initiation and progression. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a new type of RNA that control microRNAs’ (miRNAs) expressions. Although particular circRNA–miRNA–mRNA regulatory axes for CESC have been defined, little is known about this field of research. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify new circRNA–miRNA–mRNA axes in CESC. Methods: GSE102686 and GSE169057 GEO datasets were utilized to identify differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs). The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was used to detect differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRs) and mRNAs (DEmRNAs). Various in silico tools were used to identify interactions between circRNAs, miRNAs, and their potential target genes in CESC. Moreover, enrichment analysis, correlation analysis, and survival analysis were performed on potential target genes. Results: Utilizing publically available data, we found dysregulated circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs in CESC. We showed that the circRNA hsa_circ_0000711 may be involved in the CESC process by inhibiting many target genes via hsa-miR-338-3p and/or hsa-miR-361-3p. Moreover, we found that hsa_circ_0000515 circRNA can contribute to CESC by modulating the expression of some target genes via hsa-miR-296-5p. Conclusions: The findings of this work contribute to a better understanding of the circRNA–miRNA–mRNA regulation processes in CESC.