Harsij Zohreh, Mehrabi Zahra, Davoudi Nahid
Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technologies, University of Isfahan, Isfahan 81746-73441, Iran.
Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Science and Technologies, University of Isfahan, Isfahan 81746-73441, Iran.
Gene. 2025 Aug 10;960:149549. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2025.149549. Epub 2025 May 6.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are multifunctional molecules that regulate gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. They are generated through the back-splicing of mRNA precursors and exhibit tissue-specific expression patterns. CircRNAs highly conserved among various species, exhibit significant abundance and dynamic expression within the nervous system, especially at synaptic sites. Research has shown varied distributions of circRNAs across different organs, including the brain, heart, liver, and lungs, with pronounced enrichment in the nervous system. Neurological disorders lead to alterations in gene expression, transcript profiles, and modifications of non-coding RNAs, including circRNAs. Alzheimer's disease is marked by the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques and the presence of phosphorylated tau (P-tau) neurofibrillary tangles, both of which are key histological features that contribute to the pathophysiology of the disease. Notably, circRNAs cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), presenting promising avenues for therapeutic interventions in neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to their stability and the specificity of their expression in various tissues, circular RNAs are increasingly recognized as promising candidates for therapeutic intervention.
环状RNA(circRNAs)是在转录和转录后水平调节基因表达的多功能分子。它们通过mRNA前体的反向剪接产生,并表现出组织特异性表达模式。circRNAs在不同物种间高度保守,在神经系统中表现出显著的丰度和动态表达,尤其是在突触部位。研究表明,circRNAs在包括脑、心脏、肝脏和肺在内的不同器官中分布各异,在神经系统中显著富集。神经疾病会导致基因表达、转录谱以及包括circRNAs在内的非编码RNA修饰的改变。阿尔茨海默病的特征是β淀粉样蛋白(Aβ)斑块的积累和磷酸化tau(P-tau)神经原纤维缠结的存在,这两者都是导致该疾病病理生理学的关键组织学特征。值得注意的是,circRNAs能够穿过血脑屏障(BBB),由于其稳定性以及在各种组织中表达的特异性,为阿尔茨海默病(AD)等神经疾病的治疗干预提供了有前景的途径,环状RNA越来越被认为是治疗干预的有前景候选物。