State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China.
State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China College of Stomatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Research Unit of Oral Carcinogenesis and Management, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Front Immunol. 2020 Apr 2;11:545. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.00545. eCollection 2020.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel class of RNAs with a covalently closed loop structure without a 3' polyadenylation [poly-(A)] tail or a 5' cap. They used to be considered as the occasional and useless products of RNA splicing errors because they could not be detected by traditional RNA sequencing technology. Benefiting from the development of specific biochemical and computational approaches, researchers showed that circRNAs are universally expressed and functional. Further studies have revealed their important functions regarding regulating gene expression at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. These functions include acting as microRNA (miRNA) sponges, binding to RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), acting as transcriptional regulatory factors, and serving as translation templates. The advances in circRNA research has opened researchers' eyes to a new area of research on the roles of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of various diseases, especially at the immune level because of the close relationship between circRNAs and the immune response. Emerging research indicates that circRNAs could act as potential biomarkers related to diagnosis, therapeutic effects, and prognosis, and they may be effective therapeutic targets in immunological disorders, including certain diseases that are currently difficult to treat.
环状 RNA（circRNAs）是一类具有共价闭环结构的新型 RNA，没有 3' 多聚腺苷酸化 [poly-(A)] 尾巴或 5' 帽结构。它们曾经被认为是 RNA 剪接错误的偶然和无用产物，因为它们不能被传统的 RNA 测序技术检测到。受益于特定生化和计算方法的发展，研究人员表明 circRNAs 普遍表达且具有功能。进一步的研究揭示了它们在转录和转录后水平调节基因表达的重要功能。这些功能包括作为 microRNA（miRNA）海绵、与 RNA 结合蛋白（RBPs）结合、作为转录调节因子以及作为翻译模板。circRNA 研究的进展使研究人员对 circRNAs 在各种疾病发病机制中的作用有了新的认识，尤其是在免疫水平上，因为 circRNAs 与免疫反应密切相关。新兴的研究表明，circRNAs 可能作为与诊断、治疗效果和预后相关的潜在生物标志物，并且它们可能是免疫性疾病的有效治疗靶点，包括目前难以治疗的某些疾病。
