ciRS-7 Promotes Proliferation and Apoptosis in Insulinoma Cells via miR-7/MYRIP/Pax6 Signaling Pathway

Background: Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors（PNETs）is a rare neuroendocrine tumor with a complex and not fully elucidated pathogenesis. In recent years, the role of non-coding RNAs in tumorigenesis has gained increasing attention. Circular RNA ciRS-7, known as a competitive endogenous RNA, acts as a sponge for tumor-suppressive miR-7, thereby modulating gene expression. Methods： The expression levels of ciRS-7 and miR-7 in NES2Y cells were detected by qRT-PCR. Subsequently, ciRS-7 was silenced in NES2Y cells, and the expression of apoptosis-related genes Bax and Caspase-3, as well as proliferation-related genes Myrip and Pax6, was evaluated by qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Cell proliferation was assessed using the CCK-8 assay and colony formation assay, while cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry Results: We detected significant upregulation of ciRS-7 in insulinoma cell lines NES2Y, whereas miR-7 expression was markedly downregulated. Knockdown of ciRS-7 significantly suppressed cellular proliferation while promoting apoptosis, concomitantly upregulating expression of apoptosis-related genes Bax and Caspase-3. Further study showed that ciRS-7 regulates Myrip and Pax6 expression through miR-7. Knockdown of Myrip suppresses cell proliferation, induces apoptosis, and reverses the functional expression patterns of ciRS-7 and miR-7. Conclusion: CiRS-7 functions as a miR-7 sponge, inducing insulinoma cell apoptosis by targeting miR-7 and modulating the Myrip /Pax6 signaling pathway.