环状RNA与肿瘤的研究进展

Circular RNAs and tumors

环状RNA(circular RNAs,circ RNAs)是一种不同于线性RNA的新型RNA,广泛存在于各种细胞中,且具有基因表达调控作用的非编码RNA(non-coding RNA,nc RNA).circ RNA主要来源于内含子或外显子,通过反向拼接或套索内含子的方式产生,具有进化上保守、结构稳定以及组织表达特异性等特征,这些特征赋予circ RNA不同的功能,例如,作为micro RNA(mi RNA)海绵,调节转录拼接,调控亲代基因转录等等.在此,本文将对circ RNA的种类、特征,功能、circ RNA在肿瘤中的作用及其对肿瘤靶向治疗的影响作一综述.

Circular RNAs（circ RNAs） are a novel type of RNA that differ from linear RNAs; they have the ability to regulate gene expression and are found to be diverse in various cell types. circ RNAs mostly originate from exons or introns, are generated by back splicing or lariat introns, and are evolutionally conserved, stable and tissue specific. These properties confer them different functions, such as micro RNA sponge, regulating splicing and expression, and modifying the expression of parental genes. In this paper, we will review the diversities and properties of circ RNAs, their roles in cancer, and their effects in cancer targeted therapy.