Circ_0008272 facilitates cadmium-induced malignant transformation of bronchial epithelial cells through histone modification

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) exposure through the respiratory system is associated with various respiratory disorders, including lung cancer. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are increasingly recognized as critical regulators in carcinogenesis. This study employed high-throughput RNA sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to identify differentially expressed circRNAs in 16HBE cells (Cd-T) after 30 weeks of cadmium chloride (CdCl₂, 5 μmol/L) exposure. Circ_0008272 knockdown inhibited migration, invasion, proliferation, and colony formation in Cd-T cells, whereas its overexpression enhanced these malignant phenotypes. Bioinformatics analyses and RNA-Protein Interaction Prediction (RPISeq) suggested that circ_0008272 promotes tumor-like behavior in Cd-T cells by modulating histone modification pathways. In conclusion, circ_0008272 acts as a tumor-promoting factor in the Cd-induced malignant transformation of 16HBE cells.