Biological roles and potential clinical values of circular RNAs in gastrointestinal malignancies

Xueping Tao; Yongfu Shao; Jianing Yan; Liyang Yang; Qihua Ye; Qingling Wang; Rongdan Lu; Junming Guo

doi:10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2020.0348

Biological roles and potential clinical values of circular RNAs in gastrointestinal malignancies

Cancer Biol Med. 2021 Mar 12;18(2):437-457. doi: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2020.0348. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Xueping Tao^{1

2}, Yongfu Shao², Jianing Yan^{1

2}, Liyang Yang^{1

2}, Qihua Ye^{1

2}, Qingling Wang^{1

2}, Rongdan Lu², Junming Guo^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, Ningbo University School of Medicine, Ningbo 315211, China.
² Department of Gastroenterology, the Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Ningbo University, Ningbo 315020, China.

PMID: 33710802
PMCID: PMC8185857
DOI: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2020.0348

Abstract

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a class of endogenous RNA molecules, are produced by alternative splicing of precursor RNA and are covalently linked at the 5' and 3' ends. Recent studies have revealed that dysregulated circRNAs are closely related to the occurrence and progression of gastrointestinal malignancies. Accumulating evidence indicates that circRNAs, including circPVT1, circLARP4, circ-SFMBT2, cir-ITCH, circRNA_100782, circ_100395, circ-DONSON, hsa_circ_0001368, circNRIP1, circFAT1(e2), circCCDC66, circSMARCA5, circ-ZNF652, and circ_0030235 play important roles in the proliferation, differentiation, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells through a variety of mechanisms, such as acting as microRNA sponges, interacting with RNA-binding proteins, regulating gene transcription and alternative splicing, and being translated into proteins. With the characteristics of high abundance, high stability, extensive functions, and certain tissue-, time- and disease-specific expressions, circRNAs are expected to provide novel perspectives for the diagnoses and treatments of gastrointestinal malignancies.

Keywords: Circular RNA; biological function; clinical value; digestive system; gastrointestinal malignancies.

Publication types

Review

Abstract

Publication types

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