IGF2BP2-modified circular RNA circARHGAP12 promotes cervical cancer progression by interacting m 6 A/FOXM1 manner

Emerging evidence indicates that circular RNA (circRNA) and N 6 -methyladenosine (m 6 A) play critical roles in cervical cancer. However, the synergistic effect of circRNA and m 6 A on cervical cancer progression is unclear. In the present study, our sequencing data revealed that a novel m 6 A-modified circRNA (circARHGAP12, hsa_circ_0000231) upregulated in the cervical cancer tissue and cells. Interestingly, the m 6 A modification of circARHGAP12 could amplify its enrichment. Functional experiments illustrated that circARHGAP12 promoted the tumor progression of cervical cancer in vivo and vitro. Furthermore, MeRIP-Seq illustrated that there was a remarkable m 6 A site in FOXM1 mRNA. CircARHGAP12 interacted with m 6 A reader IGF2BP2 to combine with FOXM1 mRNA, thereby accelerating the stability of FOXM1 mRNA. In conclusion, we found that circARHGAP12 exerted the oncogenic role in cervical cancer progression through m 6 A-dependent IGF2BP2/FOXM1 pathway. These findings may provide new concepts for cervical cancer biology and pathological physiology.