Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev RNA. 2020 Jan;11(1):e1566. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1566. Epub 2019 Sep 5.
Eukaryotic cells express a myriad of circular RNAs (circRNAs), many of them displaying tissue-specific expression patterns. They arise from linear precursor RNAs in which 5' and 3' ends become covalently ligated. Given these features, biochemical and computational approaches traditionally used to study linear RNA must be adapted for analysis of circular RNAs. Such circRNA-specific methodologies are allowing the systematic identification of circRNAs and the analysis of their biological functions. Here, we review the resources and molecular methods currently utilized to quantify circRNAs, visualize their distribution, identify interacting partners, and elucidate their function. We discuss the challenges of analyzing circRNAs and propose alternative approaches for studying this unique class of transcripts. This article is characterized under: RNA Structure and Dynamics > RNA Structure, Dynamics, and Chemistry RNA Methods > RNA Analyses in vitro and In Silico RNA Methods > RNA Analyses in Cells.
真核细胞表达大量的环状 RNA（circRNA），其中许多具有组织特异性表达模式。它们是由线性前体 RNA 产生的，其中 5' 和 3' 末端发生共价连接。鉴于这些特征，传统上用于研究线性 RNA 的生化和计算方法必须进行适应性修改，才能用于环状 RNA 的分析。这些环状 RNA 特异性方法正在允许系统地鉴定环状 RNA 并分析它们的生物学功能。在这里，我们回顾了目前用于定量环状 RNA、可视化其分布、鉴定相互作用伙伴以及阐明其功能的资源和分子方法。我们讨论了分析环状 RNA 的挑战，并提出了研究这种独特转录本的替代方法。本文的特点如下：RNA 结构和动态 > RNA 结构、动态和化学 RNA 方法 > 体外和计算机模拟 RNA 分析 > 细胞内 RNA 分析。
