Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are important players in prostate cancer (PCa) development and progression, but their detailed mechanisms have not been elucidated. Herein, hsa_circ_0007494 was suppressed in the PCa cell lines and tissues. This resulted in metastasis of tumors to the lymph node and predicted tumor stage. Functionally, overexpression of hsa_circ_0007494 inhibited the proliferation and invasive capacity of the cells in vitro and blocked the growth of tumors in vivo. Hsa_circ_0007494 functioned as a “molecular sponge” for miR-616 and hence upregulated the target of miR-616, PTEN. In addition, rescue assays revealed that PTEN silencing (or miR-616 mimics) blocked the tumor-suppressing effects of hsa_circ_0007494 overexpression on PCa progression. Together, our findings indicate that hsa_circ_0007494 suppresses PCa by forming a negative regulatory network including hsa_circ_0007494/miR-616/PTEN. Thus, hsa_circ_0007494 may be a treatment target for PCa.

环状RNA（circRNA）是前列腺癌（PCa）发生和发展的重要参与者，但尚未阐明其详细机制。在此，hsa_circ_0007494在PCa细胞系和组织中被抑制。这导致肿瘤转移到淋巴结并预测了肿瘤的分期。在功能上，hsa_circ_0007494的过表达抑制了细胞的增殖和侵袭能力在体外和阻止肿瘤的生长在体内。Hsa_circ_0007494充当miR-616的“分子海绵”，因此上调了miR-616 PTEN的靶标。此外，急救分析显示PTEN沉默（或miR-616模拟物）阻断了hsa_circ_0007494过表达对PCa进展的肿瘤抑制作用。总之，我们的发现表明hsa_circ_0007494通过形成包括hsa_circ_0007494 / miR-616 / PTEN的负调控网络来抑制PCa。因此，hsa_circ_0007494可能是PCa的治疗目标。