Construction of an interactome network among circRNA-miRNA-mRNA reveals new biomarkers in hBMSCs osteogenic differentiation

Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) are adult stem cells residing in the bone marrow, characterized by their capacity for multi-directional differentiation, self-renewal, migration, and engraftment. Serving as seed cells, BMSCs play a pivotal role in the regeneration of bone defects. Hence, investigating the transcription factors and signaling pathways involved in the regulation of osteogenic differentiation in BMSCs holds significant importance. Recent research has unveiled that certain circular RNAs (circRNAs) can function as molecular sponges, influencing the osteogenic differentiation process of mesenchymal stem cells. However, many circRNAs remain undiscovered, and their precise mechanisms remain elusive. Therefore, the objective of this study is to construct an osteogenic differentiation-related circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network in hBMSCs. Subsequently, through bioinformatics analysis, we constructed a ceRNA network related to the osteogenic differentiation ability of hBMSCs, comprising 22 circRNAs, 17 miRNAs, and 15 mRNAs. The potential circRNA-miRNA-mRNA axes, including the role of hsa_circ_0001600 in promoting the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs through the targeted regulation of hsa-miR-542-3p, were validated through in vitro experiments.