Family Planning Research Institute/Center of Reproductive Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, P. R. China.
Wuhan Tongji Reproductive Medicine Hospital, Wuhan, 430030, P. R. China.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev RNA. 2019 Sep;10(5):e1538. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1538. Epub 2019 Apr 29.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are covalently closed RNA circles without a 5' cap or 3' tail. Since the landmark discovery of ciRS-7/CDR1as functioning as a miR-7 sponge in 2013, circRNAs have become a hot topic in RNA research. CircRNAs have been found to play active roles in cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, and many other diseases. They can function as microRNA (miRNA) sponges, protein scaffolds, and even translation templates. However, as circRNA research expands, many divergent views have emerged. For example, are most circRNAs competent in serving as miRNA sponges? What kinds of circRNAs are most likely to sponge miRNAs? Apart from sponging miRNAs, what could the functions of most circRNAs be? What are the features of circRNAs that are translatable? Many researchers have claimed that circRNAs are abundant, stable, conserved, and specific molecules, which hold great potential in serving as biomarkers. However, circRNA abundance is variable and some circRNAs are abundant while others are not. In addition, their stability and conservation may vary under different circumstances. Furthermore, it is unclear whether circRNA biogenesis is more likely to be regulated by RNA binding proteins or transcription factors. All of these are open questions that remain to be answered by researchers in this field. Discussing and investigating these questions will advance the understanding of this class of novel molecules and may propel inspiring new ideas for future studies. This article is categorized under: Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease RNA Methods > RNA Analyses in Cells RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications.
环状 RNA（circRNAs）是共价封闭的 RNA 环，没有 5'帽或 3'尾。自 2013 年标志性发现 ciRS-7/CDR1as 作为 miR-7 的海绵以来，circRNAs 已成为 RNA 研究的热门话题。已经发现 circRNAs 在癌症、心血管疾病、神经紊乱和许多其他疾病中发挥积极作用。它们可以作为 microRNA（miRNA）海绵、蛋白质支架，甚至翻译模板。然而，随着 circRNA 研究的扩展，出现了许多不同的观点。例如，大多数 circRNAs 有能力作为 miRNA 海绵吗？哪些 circRNAs 最有可能作为 miRNA 海绵？除了作为 miRNA 海绵之外，大多数 circRNAs 的功能可能是什么？大多数 circRNAs 的功能是什么？哪些 circRNAs 的特征是可翻译的？许多研究人员声称 circRNAs 是丰富的、稳定的、保守的和特异性的分子，它们具有作为生物标志物的巨大潜力。然而，circRNA 的丰度是可变的，一些 circRNA 丰富，而另一些则不丰富。此外，它们的稳定性和保守性在不同情况下可能会有所不同。此外，circRNA 生物发生是否更可能受到 RNA 结合蛋白或转录因子的调节尚不清楚。所有这些都是该领域研究人员尚未回答的开放性问题。讨论和研究这些问题将促进对这一类新型分子的理解，并可能为未来的研究提供令人振奋的新思路。本文归类于：调控 RNA/RNAi/核糖开关 > 调控 RNA 疾病与发育中的 RNA > 疾病中的 RNA RNA 与蛋白质和其他分子的相互作用 > 蛋白-RNA 相互作用：功能意义。
