斑马鱼环状RNA研究进展

Zebrafish’s Circular RNAs

环状RNA(circRNA)是一类由前体线性RNA通过反向剪接方式形成的具有环状闭合结构的小分子RNA。其具有结构稳定、高度保守等生物学特征,在各种生物不同发育阶段的生理病理过程中均表现出重要的调控作用。模式动物斑马鱼具有可用于高通量药物筛选、成本低等特点,circRNA及与其相关的发育和炎症疾病可在斑马鱼体内展开更高效的研究。近年来,斑马鱼中的circRNA不断得到鉴定并表征。研究发现,circRNA在斑马鱼的发育进程及炎症反应中扮演着重要的角色。本文就circRNA的分类和特点、生物学功能以及斑马鱼circRNA的研究进展进行综述。

Circular RNAs(circRNAs),a group of highly conserved small RNAs, are characterized by a closed circular structure from precursor linear RNA through reverse splicing.They are powerful regulators of the physiological and pathological processes in organisms at different development stages.Zebrafish can be used for the high-throughput drug screening with low cost.Thus, the circRNAs associated with development and inflammation can be mined from zebrafish.Recently, a variety of circRNAs in zebrafish have been identified and characterized.Studies have proved that circRNAs play a vital role in the development and inflammation of zebrafish.The paper summarizes the classification, characteristics, and biological functions of circRNAs, and reviews the research progress in zebrafish’s circRNAs.