Grzeczka Arkadiusz, Iqbal Sharif, Ying Kejun, Kordowitzki Pawel
Department of Preclinical and Basic Sciences, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 87-100, Torun, Poland.
Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Geroscience. 2025 Jul 17. doi: 10.1007/s11357-025-01798-0.
Ageing is a prevalent characteristic of all cells, tissues, and organs; certain ones, such as the ovaries, undergo significant ageing and do so early in the lifespan of mammals. Despite the widely recognized hormonal regulation occurring in the ovaries, numerous mechanisms influencing ovarian ageing remain unclear. Recently, a long-overlooked consequence of splicing, small RNA molecules, characterized by their circular structure, have gained attention. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been identified as products of gene transcription and are categorized among other non-coding molecules. The focus of researchers on circRNAs has been prompted by their remarkable capacity to influence the function of proteins, other RNAs, and genes. As further discoveries emerged, it became evident that these molecules were highly specific to particular tissues, with some being unique to significant physiological processes. The identification of their potential has enriched researchers' understanding regarding ovarian development and ageing, as several crucial connections to genes and ageing pathways have been revealed in current studies. This review article elucidates the significance of circRNA concerning the developmental competency and ageing of the ovary and suggests its potential as a biomarker for mammalian ovarian ageing.
衰老乃是所有细胞、组织和器官普遍存在的特征；某些器官，如卵巢，会经历显著衰老，且在哺乳动物的生命周期早期便会如此。尽管卵巢中存在广泛认可的激素调节现象，但影响卵巢衰老的众多机制仍不明晰。近来，一种长期被忽视的剪接结果——具有环状结构的小RNA分子，受到了关注。环状RNA（circRNAs）已被确认为基因转录产物，并被归类于其他非编码分子之中。研究人员对circRNAs的关注源于其显著影响蛋白质、其他RNA及基因功能的能力。随着更多发现的出现，显而易见的是，这些分子对特定组织具有高度特异性，其中一些对于重要生理过程而言是独一无二的。其潜力的发现丰富了研究人员对卵巢发育和衰老的理解，因为当前研究已揭示了它们与基因及衰老途径的若干关键联系。这篇综述文章阐明了circRNA对卵巢发育能力和衰老的重要性，并提出其作为哺乳动物卵巢衰老生物标志物的潜力。
