环状RNA在头颈部肿瘤中的作用

Roles of Circular RNA in Head and Neck Cancers

环状RNA(circular RNA,circ RNA)是一类闭合环状非编码RNA,它们大量稳定存在于各种生物细胞中并具有组织特异性表达等特征。近年来研究表明,一些circ RNA分子具有微RNA海绵、RNA结合蛋白海绵和转录调节等作用,在生物应用领域潜力巨大。头颈部肿瘤患者呼吸、吞咽和发音均可受到严重影响,患者"有苦难言"、生活质量不高。为提高对此类肿瘤的认识,该文就近年来circ RNA的研究新进展及其在头颈部肿瘤中的作用作一综述,旨在为进一步研究其在头颈部肿瘤中的作用提供新的思路和依据。

Circular RNA（circ RNA） is closed continuous loops noncoding RNA. They are stably expressed in a variety of bio-logical cells, and have tissue specificity and other characteristics. Recently, the studies on circ RNAs have shown that many circ RNAs play roles as micro RNA sponges, RNA-binding protein sponges, transcriptional regulators and so on. These roles give circ RNAs a great potential in biological applications. Patients with head and neck cancers usually have serious troubles in respiration, swallowing and pronunciation. They suffer from pain of ＂hard to express＂ and have poor quality of life. As a result, to improve our understanding of this kind of cancers, this paper briefly reviewed the research progress of circ RNA and their roles in head and neck cancers in recent years. The purpose is to bring some new view-points and bases for further study on circ RNAs in head and neck cancers.