Marei Sarah, Maatouk Nour, AbouHaidar Mounir, Talhouk Rabih
Department of Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Department of Cell & Systems Biology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia. 2025 May 2;30(1):8. doi: 10.1007/s10911-025-09580-w.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as critical regulators in various biological processes including diseases. In the mammary gland (MG), which undergoes most of its development postnatally, circRNAs play pivotal roles in both physiological and pathological contexts. This review highlights the involvement of circRNAs during key developmental stages of the MG, with particular emphasis on lactation, where circRNA-miRNA networks significantly influence milk secretion and composition. CircRNAs exhibit stage-, breed- and species-specific expression patterns during lactation, which underscores their complexity. This intricate regulation also plays a significant role in pathological conditions of the MG, where dysregulated circRNA expression contributes to disease progression such as mastitis, early breast cancer (BC) stages, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in BC (EMT). In mastitis, altered circRNA expression disrupts immune responses and compromises epithelial integrity. During early BC progression, circRNAs drive cell proliferation, while in EMT, they facilitate metastatic processes. By focusing on the circRNA-miRNA interactions underlying these processes, this review highlights their potential use as biomarkers for MG development, disease progression, and as therapeutic targets.
环状RNA（circRNAs）已成为包括疾病在内的各种生物过程中的关键调节因子。在出生后经历大部分发育过程的乳腺（MG）中，circRNAs在生理和病理环境中都起着关键作用。本综述强调了circRNAs在MG关键发育阶段的参与情况，特别关注哺乳期，其中circRNA- miRNA网络显著影响乳汁分泌和成分。circRNAs在哺乳期表现出阶段、品种和物种特异性的表达模式，这突出了它们的复杂性。这种复杂的调节在MG的病理状况中也起着重要作用，其中circRNA表达失调会导致疾病进展，如乳腺炎、早期乳腺癌（BC）阶段以及BC中的上皮-间质转化（EMT）。在乳腺炎中，circRNA表达的改变会破坏免疫反应并损害上皮完整性。在早期BC进展过程中，circRNAs驱动细胞增殖，而在EMT中，它们促进转移过程。通过关注这些过程背后的circRNA- miRNA相互作用，本综述强调了它们作为MG发育、疾病进展的生物标志物以及治疗靶点的潜在用途。
