Fig. 9

Circ_0009043 inhibits tumor growth via targeting the miR-148a-3p / DNAJB4 pathway in vivo. A, C Tumors formed 6 weeks post-injection in BALB/C nude mice. Tumors in the CTRL, OE-CTRL, OE-Circ, shCTRL and shCirc groups were isolated from mice at the endpoint of experiments. B, D Tumor growth was assessed by tumor volume measurement over time in the 5 afore mentioned groups (mean ± SD; n = 5). **P < 0.01. Mice were anesthetized and sacrificed at experimental endpoints. Tumors were subsequently dissected. E, F Circ_0009043 and miR-148a-3p mRNA expression in tumors from CTRL, OE-CTRL, OE-Circ, shCTRL and shCirc groups, respectively; n = 5. G DNAJB4 protein expression in tumors from CTRL, OE-CTRL, OE-Circ, shCTRL and shCirc groups; n = 5. H Representative images of DNAJB4 IHC in CTRL, OE-CTRL, OE-Circ, shCTRL and shCirc groups, respectively. (× 200, scale bars, 100 µm). I-J TUNEL staining assay was applied to compare the cell apoptosis of CTRL, OE-CTRL, OE-Circ, shCTRL and shCirc groups in tumors (scale bar, 100 μm). K Expression level of Bax, Bcl-2, and Cytochrome C in the cells of the 5 groups (CTRL, OE-CTRL, OE-Circ, shCTRL and shCirc groups) were determined by western blotting. **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ###P < 0.001; ####P < 0.0001