State Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Regulation, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China.
Henan Center for Outstanding Overseas Scientists of Organ Fibrosis, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang 453007, China.
Biomolecules. 2023 Jun 5;13(6):940. doi: 10.3390/biom13060940.
Liver fibrosis represents the reversible pathological process with the feature of the over-accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins within the liver, which results in the deposition of fibrotic tissues and liver dysfunction. Circular noncoding RNAs (CircRNAs) have the characteristic closed loop structures, which show high resistance to exonuclease RNase, making them far more stable and recalcitrant against degradation. CircRNAs increase target gene levels by playing the role of a microRNA (miRNA) sponge. Further, they combine with proteins or play the role of RNA scaffolds or translate proteins to modulate different biological processes. Recent studies have indicated that CircRNAs play an important role in the occurrence and progression of liver fibrosis and may be the potential diagnostic and prognostic markers for liver fibrosis. This review summarizes the CircRNAs roles and explores their underlying mechanisms, with a special focus on some of the latest research into key CircRNAs related to regulating liver fibrosis. Results in this work may inspire fruitful research directions and applications of CircRNAs in the management of liver fibrosis. Additionally, our findings lay a critical theoretical foundation for applying CircRNAs in diagnosing and treating liver fibrosis.
肝纤维化是一种可逆的病理过程，其特征是肝脏内细胞外基质（ECM）蛋白过度积累，导致纤维组织沉积和肝功能障碍。环状非编码 RNA（CircRNAs）具有封闭的环状结构特征，对核酸外切酶 RNase 具有很高的抗性，使其更加稳定，不易降解。CircRNAs 通过充当 microRNA（miRNA）海绵来增加靶基因的水平。此外，它们与蛋白质结合或发挥 RNA 支架的作用，或翻译蛋白质，从而调节不同的生物学过程。最近的研究表明，CircRNAs 在肝纤维化的发生和发展中起着重要作用，可能是肝纤维化的潜在诊断和预后标志物。本综述总结了 CircRNAs 的作用，并探讨了其潜在的机制，特别关注了一些与调节肝纤维化相关的关键 CircRNAs 的最新研究。本工作中的结果可能为 CircRNAs 在肝纤维化管理中的应用提供富有成效的研究方向和应用。此外，我们的发现为应用 CircRNAs 诊断和治疗肝纤维化奠定了重要的理论基础。
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