A comprehensive review of circRNA: from purification and identification to disease marker potential

Circular RNA (circRNA) is an endogenous noncoding RNA with a covalently closed cyclic structure. Based on their components, circRNAs are divided into exonic circRNAs, intronic circRNAs, and exon-intron circRNAs. CircRNAs have well-conserved sequences and often have high stability due to their resistance to exonucleases. Depending on their sequence, circRNAs are involved in different biological functions, including microRNA sponge activity, modulation of alternative splicing or transcription, interaction with RNA-binding proteins, and rolling translation, and are a derivative of pseudogenes. CircRNAs are involved in the development of a variety of pathological conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurological diseases, and cancer. Emerging evidence has shown that circRNAs are likely to be new potential clinical diagnostic markers or treatments for many diseases. Here we describe circRNA research methods and biological functions, and discuss the potential relationship between circRNAs and disease progression.