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Updated: Oct 2, 2025
Identification of Circular RNAs using RNA Sequencing
Published on: November 14, 2019
Circular RNA as a Potential Biomarker for Forensic Age Prediction
Junyan Wang1, Chunyan Wang2, Yangyan Wei1
1Hebei Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Collaborative Innovation Center of Forensic Medical Molecular Identification, Research Unit of Digestive Tract Microecosystem Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Forensic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) show potential for forensic age estimation. This study identified 5 age-related circRNAs in human blood, achieving accurate age prediction with regression tree and random forest models.
Area of Science:
- Forensic Science
- Molecular Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Accurate age estimation is crucial in forensic investigations.
- Aging involves complex molecular changes, including alterations in RNA expression.
- Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are stable RNA molecules known to change with age in various organisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of circRNAs as biomarkers for age prediction in humans.
- To develop and validate computational models for forensic age estimation using circRNAs.
Main Methods:
- CircRNA sequencing (circRNA-seq) was performed on blood samples from Chinese individuals.
- Bioinformatic analyses, including machine learning algorithms (e.g., lasso regression, support vector machine), were used to identify age-related circRNAs.
- Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) validated candidate circRNAs, and regression models (e.g., regression tree, random forest regression) were developed for age prediction.
Main Results:
- A significant upregulation of circRNAs with aging was observed in human blood.
- Five age-related circRNAs were identified and used to build predictive models.
- Regression tree and random forest regression models demonstrated robust age prediction accuracy, with mean average errors of 8.767 and 9.126 years, respectively. Models performed better for males than females.
Conclusions:
- CircRNAs represent novel and promising biomarkers for forensic age estimation.
- The developed circRNA-based models offer a new tool to aid forensic investigations.
- Further research into circRNAs as aging indicators holds significant potential for forensic science.
