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Updated: Oct 29, 2025
In Silico Identification and Characterization of circRNAs During Host-Pathogen Interactions
Published on: October 21, 2022
Circle the Cardiac Remodeling With circRNAs
Tiqun Yang1,2, Tianxin Long1,2, Tailai Du1,2
1Department of Cardiology, Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Insights
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are key regulators in cardiac remodeling, a process leading to heart failure. This review details circRNA functions in heart cells and their role in cardiovascular disease pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Cardiac remodeling, characterized by cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, apoptosis, and fibroblast activation, often leads to heart failure.
- Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs with diverse roles in various biological processes and diseases.
- Emerging evidence highlights the significant involvement of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the biological origin, characteristics, and classification of circRNAs.
- To elucidate the regulatory functions of circRNAs in different cardiac cell types.
- To summarize the role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of cardiac remodeling.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and synthesis of existing research on circRNAs and cardiac remodeling.
- Analysis of studies investigating circRNA expression and function in cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells.
- Examination of circRNAs' involvement in exosome-mediated communication within the cardiac environment.
Main Results:
- CircRNAs exhibit unique expression patterns and regulatory mechanisms in cardiovascular contexts.
- Specific circRNAs modulate key pathways involved in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, apoptosis, and fibroblast proliferation.
- CircRNAs influence immune cell activation and cytokine secretion, contributing to cardiac inflammation.
- Exosomes carrying circRNAs play a role in intercellular communication during cardiac remodeling.
Conclusions:
- CircRNAs are critical regulators in the complex process of cardiac remodeling.
- Understanding circRNA functions offers potential therapeutic targets for cardiovascular diseases.
- Further research into circRNA mechanisms is essential for developing novel treatment strategies for heart failure.
Abstract:
Cardiac remodeling occurs after the heart is exposed to stress, which is manifested by pathological processes such as cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and apoptosis, dendritic cells activation and cytokine secretion, proliferation and activation of fibroblasts, and finally leads to heart failure. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are recently recognized as a specific type of non-coding RNAs that are expressed in different species, in different stages of development, and in different pathological conditions. Growing evidences have implicated that circRNAs play important regulatory roles in the pathogenesis of a variety of cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we summarize the biological origin, characteristics, functional classification of circRNAs and their regulatory functions in cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, immune cells, and exosomes in the pathogenesis of cardiac remodeling.
