Malviya Ayushi, Bhuyan Rajabrata
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Banasthali Vidyapith, Niwai-Tonk, Rajasthan, 304022, India.
Discov Oncol. 2025 Jan 4;16(1):5. doi: 10.1007/s12672-025-01743-9.
The prominence of circular RNAs (circRNAs) has surged in cancer research due to their distinctive properties and impact on cancer development. This review delves into the role of circRNAs in four key cancer types: colorectal cancer (CRC), gastric cancer (GC), liver cancer (HCC), and lung cancer (LUAD). The focus lies on their potential as cancer biomarkers and drug targets. Our study analyses the reported circRNAs in the mentioned malignancies, examining their nature, functions, targets, origins, and contributions as tumor enhancers or suppressors. The approach involved assessing full-text reports on PMC, utilizing keywords such as "CircRNA" and "Cancer types," coupled with bioinformatics, experimental assays, or clinical investigations. Exclusions encompassed non-English publications, conference abstracts, letters, and expert opinions. The findings unveil 577 identified circRNAs across these cancer types: 124 in CRC, 177 in GC, 93 in HCC, and 183 in LUAD. Mechanistic insights into how circRNAs modulate gene expression in cancer are explored, particularly their interactions with microRNAs and RNA-binding proteins. Dysregulation of circRNAs across various cancers and their potential as diagnostic and prognostic indicators are synthesized. The exploration extends to the potential of targeting circRNAs as a novel cancer therapy strategy, either through inhibiting oncogenic circRNAs or reinstating tumor-suppressive ones. This article discusses the challenges and prospects in harnessing circRNAs for cancer diagnostics and therapies. These comprehensive analyses hold promise for advancing cancer research and fostering the development of innovative therapies and diagnostics.
由于其独特的性质以及对癌症发展的影响，环状RNA（circRNAs）在癌症研究中的重要性日益凸显。本综述深入探讨了circRNAs在四种主要癌症类型中的作用：结直肠癌（CRC）、胃癌（GC）、肝癌（HCC）和肺癌（LUAD）。重点在于它们作为癌症生物标志物和药物靶点的潜力。我们的研究分析了上述恶性肿瘤中已报道的circRNAs，考察了它们的性质、功能、靶点、起源以及作为肿瘤增强子或抑制子的作用。研究方法包括评估来自生物医学中心（PMC）的全文报告，使用 “CircRNA” 和 “癌症类型” 等关键词，同时结合生物信息学、实验分析或临床研究。排除的文献包括非英文出版物、会议摘要、信函和专家意见。研究结果揭示了在这些癌症类型中总共鉴定出577种circRNAs：结直肠癌中有124种，胃癌中有177种，肝癌中有93种，肺癌中有183种。我们探索了circRNAs在癌症中调节基因表达的机制，特别是它们与微小RNA和RNA结合蛋白的相互作用。综合分析了不同癌症中circRNAs的失调情况及其作为诊断和预后指标的潜力。研究还拓展到将靶向circRNAs作为一种新型癌症治疗策略的潜力，即通过抑制致癌circRNAs或恢复肿瘤抑制性circRNAs。本文讨论了利用circRNAs进行癌症诊断和治疗所面临的挑战与前景。这些全面的分析有望推动癌症研究，并促进创新疗法和诊断方法的发展。
