环状RNA特征与功能及在水产中的研究进展

Characteristics and functions of circular RNA and research advances in aquaculture

环状RNA(Circular RNAs,circRNAs)是一类不同于线性RNA的新型RNA分子,其5′与3′端首尾相连,通过反向剪接形成共价闭合的单链环状分子。circRNAs广泛存在于各种生物中,并具有多种生物学功能,与生命过程息息相关。circRNAs具有结构稳定、不易被核酸外切酶降解、表达量丰富、高度保守以及在不同组织及其不同发育阶段具有表达特异性等特征,在基因表达调控中以及各种疾病进程中发挥重要作用。随着新一代测序技术的进步和生物信息学的快速发展,越来越多的circRNAs被鉴定,且其功能研究已成为近几年来的研究热点。目前circRNAs在水产中的研究仅有少量的报道。本文综述了circRNA生物学特征、形成机制、功能及其在水产研究中的进展,有助于将来开展circRNAs对水产生物相关经济性状的调控作用研究,为遗传改良和品种选育奠定基础。

Circluar RNAs(circRNAs)are a kind of newly RNA molecules and different from other linear mRNAs generated by the reverse splicing of a covalent bond linking 3′and 5′ends to form a closed loop structure.CircRNAs are widely existed in a variety of organisms and exerts their multiple biological functions,which might be widely involved in the processes of life.They are characterized by stable structure,resistant to degradation by RNA exonuclease,abundant expression,high conservation,high specificity in cell and tissue at different stages of development and playing an important role in the regulation of gene expression and various disease processes.With the improvement of new generation sequencing technology and the rapid development of bioinformatics,ten thousands of circRNAs have been discovered ant their functional studies have also become a research hotspot.Currently,it remains still unclear and limited literatures are available in aquaculture.This article aimed to review the biological characteristics,biogenesis,biological functions of circRNAs and recent circRNAs research advance in aquaculture,which might be helpful in researching the mechanism of circRNAs on economic traits of aquatic organisms and laid a foundation for genetic modification and variety breeding.