Zhang Lei, Zhang Yuan, Wang Yin, Zhao Yanfang, Ding Han, Li Peifeng
Institute for Translational Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.
Institute of Biomedical Research, School for Life Science, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, China.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2020 Sep 29;8:584051. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.584051. eCollection 2020.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Accumulating research has indicated the possible roles played by circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the pathogenesis of CVD. CircRNAs are non-coding RNAs with covalently closed loop structures. CircRNAs can function by acting as miRNA sponges, RNA binding protein sponges, mRNA transcriptional regulators and templates for protein translation. The specific characteristics of circRNAs such as high stability, abundant distribution, and tissue- and developmental stage-specific expression make them potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of CVD. In this paper, we systematically summarized the current knowledge regarding the biogenesis, biological properties and the action mechanisms of circRNAs, elucidated the roles played by circRNAs in the pathogenesis of CVD, and explored the diagnostic potential of circRNAs in CVD. With in-depth studies, an increasing number of molecular mechanisms underlying the participation of circRNAs in CVD may be elucidated, and the application of circRNAs in the clinical diagnosis and prevention of CVD may eventually be realized.
心血管疾病（CVD）在全球范围内导致高发病率和高死亡率。越来越多的研究表明环状RNA（circRNA）在CVD发病机制中可能发挥的作用。circRNA是具有共价闭合环状结构的非编码RNA。circRNA可通过充当miRNA海绵、RNA结合蛋白海绵、mRNA转录调节因子和蛋白质翻译模板发挥作用。circRNA的高稳定性、丰富分布以及组织和发育阶段特异性表达等特定特征使其成为CVD诊断和预后的潜在生物标志物。在本文中，我们系统总结了关于circRNA的生物发生、生物学特性和作用机制的现有知识，阐明了circRNA在CVD发病机制中的作用，并探讨了circRNA在CVD中的诊断潜力。随着深入研究，越来越多circRNA参与CVD的分子机制可能会被阐明，circRNA在CVD临床诊断和预防中的应用最终可能会实现。
