Hypoxia-induced exosomal circ_0006840 promotes pancreatic cancer progress by regulating the WIF1 decay

Quick Facts

  • Publication title: Hypoxia-induced exosomal circ_0006840 promotes pancreatic cancer progress by regulating the WIF1 decay
  • Journal: BMC Biol
  • Year: 2026
  • DOI: 10.1186/s12915-025-02320-w
  • PMID/PMCID: 41484978; PMC12763943

Research overview

Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and in situ hybridization (ISH) was used to assess the expression levels of circ_0006840 in PC patients. It has been shown that circ_0006840 was transcriptionally activated by HIF1A and specifically regulated WIF1 transcripts, which is considered a potential target for PC therapy.

Key findings

We identified differentially expressed circRNAs in exosomes derived from normoxic and hypoxic PC cells through RNA sequencing.

We show that high level of circ_0006840 was found in PC tissues and serum exosomes, which was associated with poor patient survival.

Both in vitro and in vivo, circ_0006840 enhanced PC cell proliferation and migration.

At the transcriptional level, HIF1A mediated circ_0006840 activation.

Study design

A comparison of hypoxic versus normoxic PC cells was conducted using RNA sequencing to identify differentially expressed circRNAs.

Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and in situ hybridization (ISH) was used to assess the expression levels of circ_0006840 in PC patients.

In vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted to validate the biological functions of circ_0006840 in PC.

Echo Biotech Role

Echo Biotech contributed cargo loading; the study also used or cited ExoLoad®.

Related platforms: Echosome®, Research Reagents & Tools

Related services and capabilities: Small RNA / Cargo Loading, Research Reagent / Product Supply

Related products or reagents: ExoLoad® Nucleic Acid Loading Kit

References

Original publication: Hypoxia-induced exosomal circ_0006840 promotes pancreatic cancer progress by regulating the WIF1 decay BMC biology. 2026. DOI: 10.1186/s12915-025-02320-w. PMID/PMCID: 41484978; PMC12763943.