Hsa_circ_0004058 inhibits apoptosis of SRA01/04 cells by promoting autophagy via miR-186/ATG7 axis

Senile cataract is a common age-related disease in ophthalmology. Hsa_circ_0004058 has been reported to be down-regulated in the lens epithelial cells of senile cataract patients, suggesting that hsa_circ_0004058 is associated with senile cataract. However, the underlying mechanism is still unknown. This study attempted to determine the functional role of hsa_circ_0004058 in senile cataract. We treated human lens epithelial cells (SRA01/04) with H₂O₂ as senile cataract model, and found that cell viability and Autophagy of SRA01/04 cells were severely decreased by H₂O₂ treatment. Hsa_circ_0004058 was notably down-regulated in H₂O₂-treated SRA01/04 cells. Moreover, hsa_circ_0004058 overexpression reduced apoptotic cells and the expression of Cleaved-caspase-3 and Bax, and enhanced Bcl-2 expression in H₂O₂-treated SRA01/04 cells. However, hsa_circ_0004058 silencing caused the opposite results. Hsa_circ_0004058 up-regulation accelerated the expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3-II/LC3-I and Beclin-1 in H₂O₂-treated SRA01/04 cells, which was partly abolished by 3-Methyladenine (Autophagy Inhibitor). Additionally, hsa_circ_0004058 functioned as a competing endogenous RNA to competitive binding miR-186, and thus accelerated the expression of its down-stream target, Atg7. Hsa_circ_0004058 promoted Autophagy of SRA01/04 cells by regulating miR-186/Atg7 axis. In conclusion, these data demonstrates that hsa_circ_0004058 inhibits Apoptosis of SRA01/04 cells by promoting Autophagy, which attributes to regulate miR-186/Atg7 axis. Thus, hsa_circ_0004058 may be a potential target for senile cataract treatment.