Circ_UBAP2 exacerbates proliferation and metastasis of OS via targeting miR‐665/miR‐370‐3p/HMGA1 axis

Abstract Circ_UBAP2 is extensively engaged in regulating the development of various malignancies, containing osteosarcoma (OS). However, its biological significance and function are not fully understood. In this study, we found that circ_UBAP2 and HMGA1 levels were up‐regulated, and miR‐370‐3p and miR‐665 expressions were decreased in osteosarcoma tissues. Inhibition of circ_UBAP2 or HMGA1 expression in OS cells, cell viability, invasion and migration abilitities were notably hindered, and cell apoptosis abilities were increased. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that miR‐665 and miR‐370‐3p were the downstream targets of circ_UBAP2, and the dual luciferase experiment demonstrated the correlation between them. In addition, inhibition of miR‐665 and miR‐370‐3p expression could significantly reverse the impact of knocking down circ_UBAP2 on OS cells. HMGA1 was discovered to become the downstream target of both miR‐665 and miR‐370‐3p. It was shown that over‐expression of miR‐665 or miR‐370‐3p notably stimulated the cell growth, invasion, and migration of osteosarcoma cells, while hindered cell apoptosis. Nevertheless, this effect could be reversed by concurrent over‐expression of HMGA1. Our data strongly prove that circ_UBAP2 makes a vital impact on promoting the proliferation, invasion as well as migration of osteosarcoma cells via down‐regulating the level of miR‐665 and miR‐370‐3p, and later up‐regulating the level of HMGA1. In conclusion, circ_UBAP2 is upregulated in osteosarcoma, and it competitively adsorbs miR‐370‐3p and miR‐665, resulting in up‐regulation of HMGA1, thus promoting OS development.