Chen J, Gong J, et al. - Overexpression of circMMP11 (a characterized oncogenic circular RNA in breast cancer) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was found in this study. In addition, poor survival in NSCLC was predicted by circMMP11. Downregulation of miR-143 may be brought about by circMMP11 through methylation to suppress cell proliferation.

• This study included 66 NSCLC patients from whom paired cancer and non-cancer tissues were obtained, and expression of circMMP11 and miR-143 in these tissues were detected, to investigate the involvement of circMMP11 in NSCLC.

• A close correlation between circMMP11 and miR143 was found.

• MiR-143 expression was decreased and miR-143 methylation was increased by circMMP11 overexpression in NSCLC cells.

• The enhancing impacts of circMMP11 overexpression on cell proliferation was reversed by miR-143, as revealed in the CCK-8 assay analysis.