Circular RNAs and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Identification of Circular RNAs using RNA Sequencing
Published on: November 14, 2019
Apratim Mitra1, Karl Pfeifer1, Ki-Sun Park1
1Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health, and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Abstract:
In recent years, advances in bioinformatics approaches have allowed a systematic characterization of circular RNAs (circRNAs) across a variety of cell types. Demonstration of cell type specificity, regulated expression, and conservation between species all suggest that circRNAs have functional importance. Especially, investigators have begun focusing on the possibility that circRNAs operate as part of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks that are proposed to play critical roles in normal development and in pathologic conditions like cancer.
Related Concept Videos
siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the...
piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs
lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
Ribosomal RNA Synthesis
Ribosome biogenesis begins with the synthesis of 5S and 45S pre-rRNAs by distinct RNA polymerases. The primary transcripts are extensively processed and modified before they are bound and folded by ribosomal proteins and assembly factors,...
RNA Interference
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins

