Roles of circular RNAs in osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (Review).

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes and even myoblasts, and are therefore defined as pluripotent cells. BMSCs have become extremely important seed cells in gene therapy, tissue engineering, cell replacement therapy and regenerative medicine due to their potential in multilineage differentiation, self‑renewal, immune regulation and other fields. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non‑coding RNAs that are widely present in eukaryotic cells. Unlike standard linear RNAs, circRNAs form covalently closed continuous loops with no 5' or 3' polarity. circRNAs are abundantly expressed in cells and tissues, and are highly conserved and relatively stable during evolution. Numerous studies have shown that circRNAs play an important role in the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Further studies on the role of circRNAs in the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs can provide a new theoretical and experimental basis for bone tissue engineering and clinical treatment.