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Functional role of circular RNAs in cancer development and progression

Wei Lun Ng1, Taznim Begam Mohd Mohidin1, Kirti Shukla2

  • 1a Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science , University of Malaya , Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia.

RNA Biology
|June 30, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are crucial non-coding RNAs with vital roles in cell physiology and cancer development. Their stability and presence in body fluids highlight their potential as cancer biomarkers.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genomics
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are non-coding RNAs formed by back-splicing, highly conserved and cell-type specific.
  • circRNAs perform diverse cellular functions, including miRNA sponging, transcriptional regulation, and immune modulation.
  • Aberrant circRNA expression is linked to clinicopathological features in various cancers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the biological functions of circRNAs.
  • To elucidate the molecular roles of circRNAs in cancer development.
  • To discuss the potential of circRNAs as clinical biomarkers for cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on circRNA biogenesis, function, and roles in cancer.
  • Analysis of high-throughput sequencing data identifying circRNAs.
  • Examination of clinical data correlating circRNA expression with cancer features.

Main Results:

  • circRNAs act as miRNA sponges, transcriptional regulators, and RBP binding molecules.
  • circRNA expression patterns are associated with specific cancer types (breast, liver, gastric, colorectal, lung).
  • circRNAs exhibit properties like stability and presence in body fluids, making them promising biomarkers.

Conclusions:

  • circRNAs play significant roles in cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis.
  • circRNAs hold great promise as non-invasive biomarkers for early cancer diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis.
  • Further research into circRNA mechanisms in tumors is critical for clinical applications.
Keywords:
CircrnascancercarcinogenesiscircRNAs functionsmiRNA spongetumor

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