Yang Zuozhang, Xie Lin, Han Lei, Qu Xin, Yang Yihao, Zhang Ya, He Zewei, Wang Yu, Li Jing
Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors Research Center of Yunnan Province, Department of Orthopaedics, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University (Tumor Hospital of Yunnan Province), Kunming, Yunnan 650118, China.
Department of Medical Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University (Tumor Hospital of Yunnan Province), Kunming, Yunnan 650118, China.
Theranostics. 2017 Jul 22;7(12):3106-3117. doi: 10.7150/thno.19016. eCollection 2017.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are newly discovered endogenous non-coding RNAs featuring structural stability, high abundance, and tissue-specific expression. CircRNAs are prevalent and conserved in mammalian cells. They are involved in cellular processes and regulate gene expression at the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level by interacting with microRNAs (miRNAs) and other molecules. Recent studies have shown that circRNAs play an important role in the progression of various human diseases including atherosclerosis, nervous system disorders, diabetes, and cancer. In this review, we summarize the advances on endogenous circRNAs in eukaryotic cells and elucidate their diagnostic and prognostic significance in human cancers. Especially, we highlight the involvement of circRNAs in signal transduction pathways as well as their clinical potential to serve as biomarkers.
环状RNA（circRNAs）是新发现的内源性非编码RNA，具有结构稳定性、高丰度和组织特异性表达的特点。circRNAs在哺乳动物细胞中普遍存在且保守。它们参与细胞过程，并通过与微小RNA（miRNAs）和其他分子相互作用，在转录或转录后水平调节基因表达。最近的研究表明，circRNAs在包括动脉粥样硬化、神经系统疾病、糖尿病和癌症在内的各种人类疾病进展中发挥重要作用。在本综述中，我们总结了真核细胞中内源性circRNAs的研究进展，并阐明了它们在人类癌症中的诊断和预后意义。特别是，我们强调了circRNAs在信号转导通路中的作用及其作为生物标志物的临床潜力。
