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Updated: Oct 14, 2025

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Circular Rims2 Deficiency Causes Retinal Degeneration.

Lan-Fang Sun1, Yue Ma2, Yang-Yang Ji1

  • 1Laboratory for Stem Cell & Retinal Regeneration, The Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China.

Advanced Biology
|November 5, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Circular Rims2 (circRims2) is highly expressed in the retina and crucial for maintaining its structure and function. Its deficiency leads to retinal inflammation and vision impairment.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Ophthalmology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel class of non-coding RNAs with increasing evidence of tissue-specific expression, particularly in the brain and retina.
  • The specific roles of circRNAs in retinal function and disease pathogenesis remain largely unexplored.
  • Circular Rims2 (circRims2), highly expressed in the brain, has an unknown function in the retina.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the expression and functional significance of circRims2 in the mammalian retina.
  • To elucidate the impact of circRims2 deficiency on retinal structure, function, and molecular pathways.

Main Methods:

  • High-throughput RNA sequencing to analyze circRims2 expression in the retina.
  • Subretinal adeno-associated viral (AAV) delivery of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to knock down circRims2 in mice.
  • Assessment of retinal structure using histological analysis (measuring layer thickness).
  • Evaluation of retinal function via electroretinogram (ERG) recordings.
  • Analysis of inflammatory markers and signaling pathways, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF).

Main Results:

  • High-throughput RNA sequencing confirmed high expression of circRims2 in the retina, localized to synaptic layers.
  • Knockdown of circRims2 resulted in reduced thickness of retinal outer/inner segments and outer nuclear layer.
  • circRims2 deficiency led to the cessation of scotopic and photopic electroretinogram responses, indicating severe visual impairment.
  • Loss of circRims2 induced retinal inflammation and activated the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway.

Conclusions:

  • circRims2 plays a critical role in maintaining retinal structure and visual function.
  • circRims2 deficiency triggers retinal inflammation and activates the TNF signaling pathway, contributing to retinal pathology.
  • circRims2 represents a potential therapeutic target for retinal diseases characterized by inflammation and structural degeneration.