circRNA basic information
circBase ID: -
Name: hsa_circ_CLASP1
Synonym: -
Host Gene: CLASP1
Genomic location(hg19): -
Genomic location(hg38): -
Subcellular localization: cytoplasm
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Disease basic information
MONDO ID:
 0007254
MONDO name: breast cancer
Disease details: breast cancer
Disease DO ID:
 1612
Disease MeSH ID:
 -
Disease NCIt ID:
 C9335
Disease ICD11 ID:
 1047754165
Disease OMIM ID:
 -
Species: Human
Species details: Homo sapiens
Tissue specimen:

BC tissues; para-cancer tissues; adjacent tissues; BC serum; normal serum; lung tissues
Cell lines:

MCF-7; ZR-75-1; SK-BR-3; MDA-MB-231; MDA-MB-468; Hs578T; HEK-293T; MCF-10A; THP-1; 4T1
In vivo animal model:

cell line-derived xenograft; syngeneic model
circRNA-disease information
Expression pattern:
UP
Associated gene: U2AF2, AGO2, CCT2, GLI1, SNAIL, CCL2, CCL5
Associated microRNA: miR-15a-5p
Biological function: circCLASP1 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion, tumor growth, macrophage recruitment, M2-like macrophage polarization, lung metastasis, and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment; circCLASP1 knockdown suppresses proliferation, migration, invasion and promotes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis.
Molecular mechanism: circCLASP1 functions mainly as a protein scaffold that binds CCT2, facilitates the CCT2-GLI1 interaction, prevents ubiquitin-mediated GLI1 degradation, stabilizes GLI1, enhances GLI1 nuclear accumulation and transcriptional activity, increases SNAIL expression, and upregulates CCL2 and CCL5 to promote macrophage recruitment and M2 polarization; U2AF2 promotes circCLASP1 biogenesis. circCLASP1 can bind miR-15a-5p, but its oncogenic role is miR-15a-5p-independent.
Biological pathway or process:

proliferation (promotes); migration (promotes); invasion (promotes); metastasis (promotes); apoptosis (inhibits); cell cycle (promotes); ubiquitination (inhibits); immune regulation (promotes); macrophage polarization (promotes); ceRNA regulation (other); other pathway/process (promotes)
Detected method:
Q
S
Validation methods:

Back-Splice Junction PCR / divergent primers PCR; RNase R Treatment; Sanger Sequencing; Actinomycin D / DRB Stability Assay; RT-qPCR; RNA-seq; Clinical Sample Validation; Nuclear-Cytoplasmic Fractionation; Transfection; CCK8; Colony Formation Assay; IF (Immunofluorescence); Transwell Assay; Cell Cycle Assay; Annexin V/PI Flow Cytometry; In Vivo Animal Model; RIP (RNA Immunoprecipitation); RNA Pull-Down; Co-IP; Luciferase Reporter Assay; IHC (Immunohistochemistry); Western Blot; ROC Analysis; Bioinformatics Analysis
Clinical significance:

circCLASP1 expression correlates with lymph node metastasis, ki67 expression, tumor size, and diagnostic ROC performance in BC tissues and serum; the authors propose circCLASP1 as a potential prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.
Description:

circCLASP1 is upregulated in breast cancer tissues, serum, and cell lines and is associated with lymph node metastasis, Ki67 expression, tumor size, and diagnostic ROC performance. Functionally, it promotes breast cancer proliferation, migration, invasion, tumor growth, macrophage recruitment/M2-like polarization, and lung metastasis. Mechanistically, U2AF2 promotes circCLASP1 biogenesis, while circCLASP1 acts mainly as a CCT2-GLI1 protein scaffold to stabilize GLI1 through inhibition of ubiquitin-mediated degradation, activate the GLI1/SNAIL/CCL2-CCL5 axis, and remodel the tumor microenvironment independently of miR-15a-5p sponging.
Confidence score:

0.8953
Other information
Title:

Circular RNA CLASP1 modulates the GLI1/SNAIL axis and enhances macrophage polarization in breast cancer.

Journal: Oncogene
Published: 2025
PubMed ID: 41249488
Study type:

combined biological and clinical study
Data availability: GSE71651; TCGA; Supplementary Table S2; Supplementary information available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-025-03627-2; All data included in this study are available upon request by contact with the corresponding author.
Code availability: -