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Updated: Aug 13, 2025
08:25
Identification of Circular RNAs using RNA Sequencing
Published on: November 14, 2019
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An Update on Circular RNA in Pediatric Cancers
Angela Galardi1, Marta Colletti1, Alessandro Palma2
1Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology and Cell and Gene Therapy, IRCCS, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Viale San Paolo 15, 00146 Rome, Italy.
Biomedicines
|January 21, 2023
Summary
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are crucial regulatory molecules with roles in cellular functions and cancer. Their aberrant expression in pediatric solid tumors highlights their potential as diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Oncology
Background:
- Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are noncoding RNA molecules formed by reverse splicing.
- They possess high stability, abundance, and evolutionary conservation.
- circRNAs are involved in various cellular functions, including miRNA and protein sponging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent findings on circRNAs in pediatric solid cancers.
- To highlight the potential of circRNAs as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.
- To explore circRNAs as therapeutic targets in pediatric oncology.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on circRNAs in pediatric solid tumors.
- Analysis of circRNA expression profiles in various pediatric cancers.
- Examination of the regulatory roles of circRNAs in cancer pathogenesis and metastasis.
Main Results:
- circRNAs exhibit aberrant expression in pediatric solid cancers, including brain tumors, neuroblastomas, sarcomas, Wilms tumors, hepatoblastomas, and retinoblastomas.
- Their function as endogenous competitive RNAs influences tumor proliferation and invasion.
- The unique structure of circRNAs confers resistance to RNases, supporting their biomarker potential.
Conclusions:
- circRNAs play significant roles in the pathogenesis and metastasis of pediatric solid cancers.
- circRNAs represent promising biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis in pediatric oncology.
- Targeting circRNAs offers potential therapeutic strategies for pediatric solid tumors.
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