circRNA-0002109 promotes glioma malignant progression via modulating the miR-129-5P/EMP2 axis

ABSTRACT Glioma is a common intracranial malignant tumor with high mortality and high recurrence rate. In recent years, increasing evidence has demonstrated that circularRNAs (circRNAs) are potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for many tumors. However, the role of circRNAs in glioma remains unclear. In this study, we found that circRNA-0002109 was highly expressed in glioma tissues and cell lines. Downregulation of circRNA-0002109 expression inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma cells and inhibited the malignant progression of tumors in vivo. Investigations into the relevant mechanisms showed that circRNA-0002109 upregulated the expression of EMP2 through endogenous competitive binding of miR-129-5P, which partially alleviated the inhibitory effect of miR-129-5P on EMP2 and ultimately promoted the malignant development of glioma. Our results indicate that circRNA-0002109 plays an important role in the proliferation, invasion and migration of glioma cells by regulating the miR-129-5P/EMP2 axis, which provides a new potential therapeutic target for glioma.