Allegra Alessandro, Cicero Nicola, Tonacci Alessandro, Musolino Caterina, Gangemi Sebastiano
Department of Human Pathology in Adulthood and Childhood "Gaetano Barresi", Division of Hematology, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.
Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.
Cancers (Basel). 2022 Mar 27;14(7):1700. doi: 10.3390/cancers14071700.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel type of covalently closed RNAs involved in several physiological and pathological processes. They display tissue-specific expression and are constant, abundant, and highly conserved, making them perfect markers for diagnosis and prognosis. Several studies have proposed that circRNAs are also differentially produced in malignancies where they have oncogenic effects. Furthermore, circRNAs affecting microRNAs modify the expression profile of several transcription factors which play essential roles in tumors. CircRNAs within the hematopoietic compartment were identified as modulators of mechanisms able to enhance or suppress tumor progression in blood malignancies. Moreover, several circRNAs were suggested to confer resistance to the conventional drugs employed in hematopoietic cancers. In this review, we highlight the growing role and the controlling mechanisms by which circRNAs modify multiple myeloma genesis. We propose that circRNAs can be considered as potential diagnostic and prognostic markers, can induce chemoresistance, and might represent novel therapeutic targets for multiple myeloma.
环状RNA（circRNAs）是一类新型的共价闭合RNA，参与多种生理和病理过程。它们表现出组织特异性表达，且稳定、丰富、高度保守，使其成为诊断和预后的理想标志物。多项研究表明，circRNAs在具有致癌作用的恶性肿瘤中也存在差异表达。此外，影响微小RNA的circRNAs会改变几种在肿瘤中起关键作用的转录因子的表达谱。造血系统中的circRNAs被确定为能够增强或抑制血液系统恶性肿瘤进展机制的调节因子。此外，有研究表明几种circRNAs可使造血系统癌症中使用的传统药物产生耐药性。在本综述中，我们重点介绍了circRNAs在多发性骨髓瘤发生过程中日益重要的作用及其调控机制。我们认为，circRNAs可被视为潜在的诊断和预后标志物，可诱导化疗耐药性，并且可能代表多发性骨髓瘤的新型治疗靶点。
