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Identification of Circular RNAs using RNA Sequencing
Published on: November 14, 2019
Transcriptome-wide discovery of circular RNAs in Archaea
Miri Danan1, Schraga Schwartz, Sarit Edelheit
1Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Nucleic Acids Research
|December 6, 2011
Summary
Circular RNAs are abundant in archaea, with many non-coding circular RNAs having unknown functions. A new circRNA-seq method enables unbiased, whole-genome profiling of these important molecules.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are found across life but their discovery has been largely accidental.
- circRNAs are known to play roles in viral/viroid genomes and tRNA maturation.
- Their full prevalence and function, especially in archaea, remain largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and apply a novel method for unbiased, whole-genome profiling of circRNAs.
- To investigate the prevalence and types of circRNAs in the archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus P2.
- To assess the conservation and potential functions of archaeal circRNAs.
Main Methods:
- Developed circRNA-seq, a combined experimental and computational approach.
- Enriched for circular RNAs to enable whole-genome, unbiased profiling.
- Validated identified circRNAs through independent methods.
Main Results:
- Identified multiple circular RNA transcripts in Sulfolobus solfataricus P2.
- Detected expected forms like tRNA introns and rRNA processing intermediates.
- Discovered numerous non-coding RNAs, including C/D box RNAs and RNase P, as well as novel circRNAs of unknown function.
- Found conservation of many identified circRNAs in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius.
Conclusions:
- Circular RNAs, particularly non-coding forms, are more prevalent in archaea than previously thought.
- Archaeal circRNAs may possess significant, yet unidentified, biological roles.
- The circRNA-seq approach is a sensitive and specific tool for circRNA identification, applicable to other organisms.
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