Circ‐E2F3 promotes cervical cancer progression by inhibiting microRNA‐296‐5p and increasing STAT3 nuclear translocation

Circular RNA E2F transcription factor 3 (circ-E2F3) has been demonstrated to be differentially expressed in some diseases and cancers. However, the role of circ-E2F3 in cervical cancer (CC) progression remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the mechanism of circ-E2F3 regulation of CC progression. Circ-E2F3 expression was determined in CC samples, and its correlation with the clinicopathological characteristics of CC patients and cell biological processes was examined. The interaction among circ-E2F3, microRNA-296-5p (miR-296-5p), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) was analyzed by dual luciferase reporter gene and fluorescence in situ hybridization assays. Circ-E2F3-depleted CaSki cells were implanted into nude mice to verify the function of circ-E2F3 in vivo. Circ-E2F3 was upregulated in both CC tissues and cell lines, and this correlated with the clinicopathological features and poor prognosis of CC patients. Moreover, circ-E2F3 promoted the proliferation, invasion, and migration of CC cells and tumor growth in vivo. It was also observed that circ-E2F3 promoted the nuclear translocation of STAT3 through inhibition of miR-296-5p, thus affecting the expression of cyclin D1. Taken together, the key findings of our study demonstrate that circ-E2F3 induces inhibition of miR-296-5p, which triggers activation and nuclear translocation of STAT3 that then upregulates cyclin D1 expression.