Specific expression and functions of circular RNAs


Misir S., Wu N., Yang B. B.

CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION, cilt.29, sa.3, ss.481-491, 2022 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Derleme
  • Cilt numarası: 29 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2022
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1038/s41418-022-00948-7
  • Dergi Adı: CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Veterinary Science Database
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.481-491
  • Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

In recent years, circular RNAs (circRNAs), a new class of RNA molecules characterized by their covalently closed circular structure, have become a new research paradigm in RNA biology. Many circRNAs are conserved among eukaryotes, localize in specific subcellular compartments, and play different biological roles. Accumulating evidence shows that circRNAs regulate a diversity of cellular processes by acting as miRNA sponges, anchors for circRNA binding proteins (cRBPs), transcriptional regulators, molecular scaffolds, and sources for translation of small proteins/peptides. The emergence of the biological functions of circRNAs has brought a new perspective to our understanding of cellular physiology and disease pathogenesis. Recent studies have shown that the expression of circRNAs is tissue- and cell type-specific and specifically regulated through development or disease progression, where they exert specific biological functions. However, the mechanisms underlying these remain largely unknown. A deeper understanding of how the specific expression of circRNAs is regulated to exert specific biological functions will enable the use of circRNA as a biomarker in clinical practice and the development of new therapeutic approaches. This review aims to summarize recent developments in circRNA biogenesis, functions, and molecular mechanisms. We also provide some specific circRNAs as examples to show their tissue-specific distribution and evaluate the possibility of applying circRNA technologies in molecular research and therapeutics.