School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, 453003, China.
Institutes of Health Central Plains, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, 453003, China.
Cell Death Dis. 2023 Feb 16;14(2):132. doi: 10.1038/s41419-023-05647-w.
Circular RNA (circRNAs) is a covalently closed circular non-coding RNA formed by reverse back-splicing from precursor messenger RNA. It is found widely in eukaryotic cells and can be released to the surrounding environment and captured by other cell types. This, circRNAs serve as connections between different cell types for the mediation of multiple signaling pathways. CircRNAs reshape the tumor microenvironment (TME), a key factor involved in all stages of cancer development, by regulating epithelial-stromal transformation, tumor vascularization, immune cell function, and inflammatory responses. Immune cells are the most abundant cellular TME components, and they have profound toxicity to cancer cells. This review summarizes circRNA regulation of immune cells, including T cells, natural killer cells, and macrophages; highlights the impact of circRNAs on tumor progression, treatment, and prognosis; and indicates new targets for tumor immunotherapy.
环状 RNA（circRNAs）是一种通过前体信使 RNA 的反向剪接形成的共价闭合环状非编码 RNA。它广泛存在于真核细胞中，可以被释放到周围环境中，并被其他细胞类型捕获。因此，circRNAs 作为不同细胞类型之间的连接，介导多种信号通路。circRNAs 通过调节上皮间质转化、肿瘤血管生成、免疫细胞功能和炎症反应，重塑肿瘤微环境（TME），TME 是癌症发展的所有阶段的关键因素。免疫细胞是 TME 中最丰富的细胞成分，它们对癌细胞具有深刻的毒性。本综述总结了 circRNA 对免疫细胞（包括 T 细胞、自然杀伤细胞和巨噬细胞）的调节作用，强调了 circRNAs 对肿瘤进展、治疗和预后的影响，并指出了肿瘤免疫治疗的新靶点。
