The function and mechanisms of action of circular RNAs in Urologic Cancer

Zi-Hao Zhang1,2,3, Yue Wang2,3, Ya Zhang4

  • 1Qingdao Institute, School of Life Medicine, Department of Urology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Qingdao, 266500, China.

Molecular Cancer
|March 25, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Circular RNAs (CircRNAs) are key players in urologic cancers, impacting tumor growth and spread. This review explores their potential as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for kidney, bladder, and prostate cancers.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Urologic cancers, including kidney, bladder, and prostate cancer, pose significant health risks.
  • Circular RNAs (CircRNAs) are unique non-coding RNAs with diverse biological functions.
  • Aberrant CircRNA expression is linked to the pathogenesis of urologic malignancies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the properties and biological functions of CircRNAs.
  • To elucidate the role of CircRNAs in the development of kidney, bladder, and prostate cancers.
  • To highlight the potential of CircRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on CircRNAs in urologic cancers.
  • Analysis of CircRNA functions including microRNA sponging, protein binding, and transcriptional regulation.
  • Focus on CircRNA involvement in cancer proliferation, metastasis, apoptosis, metabolism, and drug resistance.

Main Results:

  • CircRNAs exhibit critical roles in regulating key cancer hallmarks.
  • Abnormal CircRNA expression is a common feature in urologic tumors.
  • CircRNAs demonstrate potential as diagnostic and prognostic indicators.

Conclusions:

  • CircRNAs are emerging as significant factors in urologic oncology.
  • Further research into CircRNAs could lead to novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for kidney, bladder, and prostate cancers.

Related Concept Videos

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs02:39

lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs

In humans, more than 80% of the genome gets transcribed. However, only around 2% of the genome codes for proteins. The remaining part produces non-coding RNAs which includes ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, telomerase RNAs, and regulatory RNAs, among other types. A large number of regulatory non-coding RNAs have been classified into two groups depending upon their length – small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA, which are less than 200 nucleotides in length, and long non-coding RNA...
8.7K
MicroRNAs01:22

MicroRNAs

MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns (non-coding regions of a gene) or intergenic regions (stretches of DNA present between genes). Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself, forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After the pre-miRNA...
3.1K
Experimental RNAi02:15

Experimental RNAi

RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
6.2K
siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs02:30

siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs

Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the...
16.9K
RNA Interference01:23

RNA Interference

RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
26.2K
piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs02:57

piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs

PIWI-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs, are the most abundant short non-coding RNAs. More than 20,000 genes have been found in humans that code for piRNAs while only 2000 genes have been found for miRNAs. piRNAs can act at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and have a vital role in silencing transposable elements present in germ cells. They are also involved in epigenetic silencing and activation. Previously, they were thought to function only in germ cells but new evidence suggests...
6.9K