脑血管病环状RNA的转录后调控及展望

circRNAs: post-transcription regulation in cerebrovascular diseases

环状RNA(circular RNAs,circRNAs)是一类存在于多种生物体内通过共价键结合的闭合环状非编码RNA。circRNAs性质稳定,不易被核酸酶水解,广泛存在于不同器官组织中并呈现出时空特异性和组织特异性[1]。近年来,随着现代生物信息学技术的发展,circRNAs的生成机制及生物学特性已为越来越多的学者所熟知,但其对靶基因表达的调控作用还不甚明朗。根据基因来源的不同,circRNAs可以分为3种:外显子来源的circRNAs,外显子内含子共同来源的circRNAs(exon-intron circRNAs,ElciRNAs)和内含子来源的[2]。研究表明,circRNAs广泛存在于神经系统组织中[3],参与并影响包括炎症、氧化应激、线粒体功能紊乱和细胞调亡等多种卒中后病理生理过程[4],毫无疑问,卒中相关circRNAs的出现为卒中后发生发展机制提供了理论基础,为脑血管疾病的诊断和治疗提供了新的思路。

Circular RNAs(circRNAs)are a type of covalently closed circular non-coding RNAs that are expressed across varieties of life forms.CircRNAs have a variety of characteristics such as stable structures,tissue-specific expression and the function of microRNA sponges in the regulation of genes.CircRNAs are abundant,highly expressed in neural tissues,emerging evidence also indicates that circRNAs play an important role in the pathophysiologic process of Alzheimer’s disease,Parkinson’s disease,amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurological diseases.As one of the most important neurological diseases,the pathogenesis of brain damage and repair after ischemia has not yet been evaluated,and stroke related circRNAs are of great significance.In this review,we summarize related regulations,and the potential regulatory mechanisms of cicrcRNAs in cerebrovascular diseases,and the important role of circRNAs in post stroke pathophysiologic process is also discussed.CircRNAs are expected to be a new drug target,and provide new theoretical basis for the diagnosis and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases.