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Circular RNAs in digestive system cancer: potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets

Jia-Qi Sheng1, Lian Liu1, Mu-Ru Wang1

  • 1Division of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Wuhan, China.

American Journal of Cancer Research
|August 11, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are stable molecules with diverse functions, implicated in various diseases. This review focuses on their diagnostic and therapeutic potential in digestive system cancers.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genomics
  • RNA Biology

Background:

  • Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of RNA molecules characterized by a stable, covalently closed loop structure.
  • Advances in high-throughput sequencing have revealed the widespread presence and diverse functions of circRNAs across species and cell types.
  • These functions include regulating gene expression, acting as miRNA sponges, interacting with proteins, and even translating peptides.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the latest research on circRNAs.
  • To explore the diagnostic and prognostic significance of circRNAs in digestive system cancers.
  • To highlight the potential of circRNAs as therapeutic targets for novel drugs.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent studies on circRNAs.
  • Analysis of circRNA roles in disease pathogenesis.
  • Focus on circRNAs in the context of digestive system cancers.

Main Results:

  • CircRNAs play critical roles in various biological processes.
  • CircRNAs are involved in the development of numerous diseases, including cancers.
  • Specific circRNAs show promise as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for digestive system cancers.

Conclusions:

  • CircRNAs represent a significant area of research with broad biological implications.
  • CircRNAs hold considerable potential as diagnostic and prognostic indicators in digestive system cancers.
  • Targeting circRNAs may offer novel therapeutic strategies for digestive system cancers.
Keywords:
Circular RNAdiagnosisdigestive system cancerprognosistherapeutic targets

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