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Discovery and Comprehensive Characterization of Novel Circular RNAs of the Apoptosis-Related BOK Gene in Human Ovarian and Prostate Cancer Cells, Using Nanopore Sequencing

Authors :
Christos K. Kontos
Despina Hadjichambi
Maria Papatsirou
Paraskevi Karousi
Spyridon Christodoulou
Diamantis C. Sideris
Andreas Scorilas
Source :
Non-Coding RNA, Vol 9, Iss 5, p 57 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

CircRNAs have become a novel scientific research hotspot, and an increasing number of studies have shed light on their involvement in malignant progression. Prompted by the apparent scientific gap in circRNAs from apoptosis-related genes, such as BOK, we focused on the identification of novel BOK circRNAs in human ovarian and prostate cancer cells. Total RNA was extracted from ovarian and prostate cancer cell lines and reversely transcribed using random hexamer primers. A series of PCR assays utilizing gene-specific divergent primers were carried out. Next, third-generation sequencing based on nanopore technology followed by extensive bioinformatics analysis led to the discovery of 23 novel circRNAs. These novel circRNAs consist of both exonic and intronic regions of the BOK gene. Interestingly, the exons that form the back-splice junction were truncated in most circRNAs, and multiple back-splice sites were found for each BOK exon. Moreover, several BOK circRNAs are predicted to sponge microRNAs with a key role in reproductive cancers, while the presence of putative open reading frames indicates their translational potential. Overall, this study suggests that distinct alternative splicing events lead to the production of novel BOK circRNAs, which could come into play in the molecular landscape and clinical investigation of ovarian and prostate cancer.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2311553X
Volume :
9
Issue :
5
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Non-Coding RNA
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.185f4874f6524e2f9c0269ff445009d5
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/ncrna9050057