Circular RNAs: emerging players in asthma and COPD

Xiaoying Liu; Md Khadem Ali; Kamal Dua; Yuqiang Mao; Jun Liu

doi:10.3389/fcell.2023.1267792

Circular RNAs: emerging players in asthma and COPD

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2023 Nov 24:11:1267792. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1267792. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Xiaoying Liu¹, Md Khadem Ali², Kamal Dua^{3

4

5}, Yuqiang Mao^{6

7}, Jun Liu⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
² Pre-Professional Health Academic Program, California State University, Hayward, CA, United States.
³ Discipline of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁴ Faculty of Health, Australian Research Centre in Complementary and Integrative Medicine, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia.
⁵ Uttaranchal Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India.
⁶ Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
⁷ Clinical Skills Practice Teaching Center, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, China.

Abstract

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) belong to a unique class of endogenously expressed non-protein-coding RNAs with a distinct circularized structure, characterized by the absence of 5'-cap and 3'-polyadenylate ends. They are generally formed through back-splicing from pre-mRNAs. They serve as regulators of transcription and splicing, and act as sponges for microRNAs (miRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins, thereby modulating the expression of target genes. As a result, they exert a substantial impact on a diverse array of cellular and biological processes, including cell proliferation, migration, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Asthma and COPD are chronic airway conditions that currently have no cure. In recent years, emerging evidence suggests that altered expression of circRNAs in airway, bronchial and immune cells is involved in asthma and COPD pathogenesis. Studies exploring circRNA dysregulation in asthma have showcased their involvement in regulating the proliferation, migration, and inflammation of airway smooth muscle and bronchial epithelial cells, as well as impacting goblet cell metaplasia, Th2 cell differentiation, and macrophage activation, primarily through interactions with miRNAs. Similarly, in COPD, circRNAs have shown altered expression patterns in the blood and lungs of patients, and these changes have been linked to modulating inflammation, oxidative stress, and airway remodeling in preclinical models. Furthermore, certain circRNAs have demonstrated promising potential as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for both asthma and COPD. This review delves into the current understanding of the function and molecular mechanisms of circRNAs in asthma and COPD, along with exploring their potential as biomarkers in these respiratory conditions.

Keywords: COPD; CircRNAs; asthma; lung disease; miRNAs.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The authors declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work is funded by the People’s Livelihood Science and Technology Program Joint Plan of Liaoning Province, China (Grant No. 2021JH2/10300131).