Department of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin 300211, P.R. China.
P.R. ChinaDepartment of General Practice, Xiamen Branch, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Xiamen, Fujian 361015, P.R. China.
Mol Med Rep. 2020 Oct;22(4):3057-3065. doi: 10.3892/mmr.2020.11437. Epub 2020 Aug 19.
Lower back pain (LBP) is one of the predominant factors contributing to dyskinesia and remains a serious social and economic burden worldwide. Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is the leading cause of LBP; the existing IDD treatments cannot completely prevent IDD. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are non‑coding RNAs resulting from back‑splicing with unique structural characteristics and functions. Accumulating evidence suggests that circRNAs are involved in the pathological process of IDD and modulate a range of IDD‑related genes or proteins. However, the underlying circRNA‑mediated regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. The aim of the present review is to describe the current understanding of circRNA characteristics, classification, biogenesis and function in relation to its specific roles in IDD. Additionally, the limitations on the current knowledge in the field and the future direction of IDD‑related research are also discussed.
下腰痛（LBP）是导致运动障碍的主要因素之一，仍然是全球范围内严重的社会和经济负担。椎间盘退变（IDD）是 LBP 的主要原因；现有的 IDD 治疗方法不能完全预防 IDD。环状 RNA（circRNA）是由反向剪接产生的具有独特结构特征和功能的非编码 RNA。越来越多的证据表明，circRNA 参与了 IDD 的病理过程，并调节一系列与 IDD 相关的基因或蛋白。然而，circRNA 介导的调节机制的基础仍知之甚少。本综述的目的在于描述 circRNA 特征、分类、生物发生和功能的最新认识，以及它们在 IDD 中的特定作用。此外，还讨论了该领域目前知识的局限性和与 IDD 相关研究的未来方向。
