Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) play vital roles in the tumorigenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Nevertheless, the mechanism and regulatory network associated with this process remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the expression of mRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs by RNA-seq. A total of 3265 mRNAs, 1084 lncRNAs, and 38 circRNAs were found to be differentially expressed. Among these, 269 mRNAs were found to encode transcription factors (TFs). Functional enrichment analysis indicated that the dysregulated TFs are associated with the Hedgehog, Jak-STAT, TGF-beta, and MAPK signaling pathways. Furthermore, we constructed co-expression networks to screen the core lncRNAs and circRNAs involved in the regulation of transcription factors in these four pathways. Finally, we constructed a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network of ESCC based on the abovementioned pathways. Our findings provide important insight into the role of lncRNAs and circRNAs in ESCC; the differentially expressed lncRNAs and circRNAs may represent potential targets for ESCC diagnosis and therapy.

长链非编码 RNA (lncRNA) 和环状 RNA (circRNA) 在食管鳞状细胞癌 (ESCC) 的肿瘤发生中起重要作用。然而，与该过程相关的机制和监管网络在很大程度上仍然未知。在本研究中，我们通过 RNA-seq 对 mRNA、lncRNA 和 circRNA 的表达进行了综合分析。共发现3265个mRNAs、1084个lncRNAs和38个circRNAs差异表达。其中，发现 269 个 mRNA 编码转录因子 (TF)。功能富集分析表明失调的 TF 与 Hedgehog、Jak-STAT、TGF-β 和 MAPK 信号通路相关。此外，我们构建了共表达网络来筛选参与这四种途径中转录因子调控的核心 lncRNA 和 circRNA。最后，我们基于上述途径构建了ESCC的竞争内源RNA（ceRNA）网络。我们的发现为 lncRNA 和 circRNA 在 ESCC 中的作用提供了重要的见解；差异表达的 lncRNA 和 circRNA 可能代表 ESCC 诊断和治疗的潜在靶点。