Health Science Center, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.
Key Laboratory of Environmental Health, Ministry of Education, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Cell Prolif. 2021 Dec;54(12):e13143. doi: 10.1111/cpr.13143. Epub 2021 Oct 20.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a type of non-coding RNA, are single-stranded circularized molecules characterized by high abundance, evolutionary conservation and cell development- and tissue-specific expression. A large body of studies has found that circRNAs exert a wide variety of functions in diverse biological processes, including cell cycle. The cell cycle is controlled by the coordinated activation and deactivation of cell cycle regulators. CircRNAs exert mutifunctional roles by regulating gene expression via various mechanisms. However, the functional relevance of circRNAs and cell cycle regulation largely remains to be elucidated. Herein, we briefly describe the biogenesis and mechanistic models of circRNAs and summarize their functions and mechanisms in the regulation of critical cell cycle modulators, including cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. Moreover, we highlight the participation of circRNAs in cell cycle-related signalling pathways and the clinical value of circRNAs as promising biomarkers or therapeutic targets in diseases related to cell cycle disorder.
环状 RNA（circRNAs）是一种非编码 RNA，是单链环状分子，具有含量丰富、进化保守和细胞发育及组织特异性表达等特点。大量研究发现，circRNAs 在多种生物学过程中发挥着广泛的功能，包括细胞周期。细胞周期受细胞周期调控因子的协调激活和失活控制。circRNAs 通过多种机制调节基因表达发挥多功能作用。然而，circRNAs 与细胞周期调控的功能相关性在很大程度上仍有待阐明。本文简要描述了 circRNAs 的生物发生和机制模型，并总结了它们在调节关键细胞周期调节剂（包括细胞周期蛋白、细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶和细胞周期蛋白依赖性激酶抑制剂）中的功能和机制。此外，我们还强调了 circRNAs 在细胞周期相关信号通路中的参与，以及 circRNAs 作为与细胞周期紊乱相关疾病有前途的生物标志物或治疗靶点的临床价值。
