Circular RNA (circRNA) circ-LRP6 was recently proven to be a pivotal player in various human diseases. Nevertheless, its role in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) remains unknown. In the current study, we investigated the expression level, biological function and mechanism of circ-LRP6 in ESCC. Circ-LRP6 was significantly upregulated in ESCC tissues and correlated with malignant clinicopathological characteristics and poor prognosis. Knockdown of circ-LRP6 evidently reduced ESCC cell viability, colony formation and invasion. Circ-LRP6 was mainly located in the cytoplasm and could sponge miR-182 to increase the expression of Myc, a well-documented proto-oncogene. Importantly, circ-LRP6 depletion significantly retarded tumor growth in vivo. And silencing of miR-182 or overexpression of Myc effectively rescued the attenuated aggressive phenotype of ESCC cells caused by circ-LRP6 knockdown. Therefore, our data indicate that circ-LRP6 is a novel oncogenic circRNA in ESCC, targeting the circ-LRP6/miR-182/Myc signaling may be a promising therapeutic approach for ESCC patients.

环状 RNA (circRNA) circ-LRP6 最近被证明是各种人类疾病的关键参与者。然而，其在食管鳞状细胞癌（ESCC）中的作用仍然未知。在目前的研究中，我们研究了 circ-LRP6 在 ESCC 中的表达水平、生物学功能和机制。Circ-LRP6 在 ESCC 组织中显着上调，并与恶性临床病理特征和不良预后相关。circ-LRP6 的敲低明显降低了 ESCC 细胞的活力、集落形成和侵袭。Circ-LRP6 主要位于细胞质中，可以吸收 miR-182 以增加 Myc 的表达，Myc 是一种有据可查的原癌基因。重要的是，circ-LRP6 耗竭显着延缓了体内肿瘤的生长. 并且 miR-182 的沉默或 Myc 的过表达有效地挽救了由 circ-LRP6 敲低引起的 ESCC 细胞侵袭性减弱表型。因此，我们的数据表明 circ-LRP6 是 ESCC 中的一种新型致癌 circRNA，靶向 circ-LRP6/miR-182/Myc 信号可能是 ESCC 患者的一种有前途的治疗方法。