Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Medical Genetics, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
Hereditas. 2024 Nov 18;161(1):46. doi: 10.1186/s41065-024-00346-8.
Infertility is a global problem being associated with emotional and financial burden. Recent studies have shown contribution of a group of non-coding RNAs, namely circular RNAs (circRNAs) to the etiology of some infertility conditions. CircRNA are transcribed from exons and form a circular RNA molecule, being abundant in eukaryotes. Traditionally classified as non-coding RNA, these transcripts are endogenously produced through either non-canonical back-splicing or linear splicing, typically produced from precursor messenger ribonucleic acid (pre-mRNA). While during the canonical splicing process the 3' end of the exon is joined to the 5' end of the succeeding exon to form linear mRNA, during backsplicing, the 3' end to the 5' end of the same exon is joined to make a circular molecule. circRNAs are involved in the regulation of several aspects of spermatogenesis. They appear to influence how stem germ cells grow and divide during the sperm production process. Malfunctions in circRNA activity could contribute to male infertility issues stemming from abnormalities in spermatogenesis. In the current review, we highlight the exciting potential of circRNAs as key players in the male fertility.
不孕是一个全球性问题，与情绪和经济负担有关。最近的研究表明，一组非编码 RNA，即环状 RNA（circRNA），对一些不孕情况的病因有贡献。circRNA 由外显子转录形成环状 RNA 分子，在真核生物中丰富存在。这些转录物传统上被归类为非编码 RNA，通过非规范的反向剪接或线性剪接内源性产生，通常由前体信使 RNA（pre-mRNA）产生。在规范剪接过程中，外显子的 3' 端与后续外显子的 5' 端连接，形成线性 mRNA，而在反向剪接中，同一外显子的 3' 端与 5' 端连接，形成环状分子。circRNA 参与精子发生的几个方面的调节。它们似乎影响干细胞在精子发生过程中的生长和分裂。circRNA 活性的功能障碍可能导致精子发生异常导致的男性不育问题。在当前的综述中，我们强调了 circRNA 作为男性生育力关键参与者的令人兴奋的潜力。
