Fig. 3: CircZNF609 activates Hedgehog pathway to regulate HCC progression.

a Microarray and KEGG analyses were applied to detect the expression of the downstream target genes of circZNF609 after circZNF609 was silenced. The result suggested that genes with differential differences in expression were closely related to Hedgehog pathway. b, c The proliferation ability of HCCLM3 and MHCC-97H cells transfected with different plasmids was measured by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. d Cell sphere formation ability in transfected cells was assessed by sphere formation assay. e, f Flow cytometry, TUNEL, and western blot analyses were employed to analyze the apoptosis capability of transfected cells. g Transwell assay was used to examine the migration and invasion capabilities of transfected cells. h Cell metastasis, EMT, and stemness in transfected cells were examined by western blot analysis. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01.