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Star Circular RNAs In Human Cancer: Progress And Perspectives
Ye Cheng1, Hanzhi Sun1, Hanjin Wang1
1Department of General Surgery, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China.
Oncotargets and Therapy
|October 22, 2019
Summary
Circular RNAs (circRNAs), stable non-coding RNAs, are increasingly recognized for their roles in human diseases. This review highlights eight key circRNAs involved in various cancers, offering potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel class of non-coding RNAs with a unique covalently closed loop structure.
- Unlike linear RNAs, circRNAs exhibit enhanced stability, abundance, and evolutionary conservation due to the absence of 5' cap and 3' poly-A tail structures.
- These properties enable circRNAs to perform diverse biological functions, including acting as miRNA sponges and forming RNA-protein complexes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize cancer-associated circRNAs.
- To identify circRNAs with abnormal expression across multiple cancer types.
- To highlight 'star circRNAs' with high frequency or involvement in key cancer pathways.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of circRNA studies related to cancer.
- Statistical analysis to identify frequently occurring and functionally significant circRNAs.
- Selection of eight 'star circRNAs' based on prevalence and pathway involvement.
Main Results:
- Identification of numerous circRNAs implicated in human cancer development and progression.
- Characterization of eight specific circRNAs ('star circRNAs') that are frequently dysregulated in various cancers or play critical roles in key oncogenic pathways.
- Overview of the classification, features, and functions of these emerging star circRNAs.
Conclusions:
- CircRNAs hold significant potential as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in oncology.
- The identified star circRNAs represent promising candidates for further investigation in cancer research.
- Understanding the multifaceted roles of circRNAs in cancer is crucial for developing novel treatment strategies.
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