Journal Article

Circular RNAs in Cancer: emerging functions in hallmarks, stemness, resistance and roles as potential biomarkers

Yang, Desong, Zhang, Yuqin, Li, Xu, Wang, Hui, Wang, Wenxiang, Wu, Zhining, Zhou, Yong, Ma, Junliang, Liao, Qianjin, Tang, Yanyan, Tian, Bo, Su, Min, Xiao, Yuhang

2019

Overview

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of RNA molecules with closed loops and high stability. CircRNAs are abundantly expressed in eukaryotic organisms and exhibit both location- and step-specificity. In recent years, circRNAs are attracting considerable research attention attributed to their possible contributions to gene regulation through a variety of actions, including sponging microRNAs, interacting with RNA-binding proteins, regulating transcription and splicing, and protein translation. Growing evidence has revealed that circRNAs play critical roles in the development and progression of diseases, especially in cancers. Without doubt, expanding our understanding of circRNAs will enrich knowledge of cancer and provide new opportunities for cancer therapy. In this review, we provide an overview of the characteristics, functions and functional mechanisms of circRNAs. In particular, we summarize current knowledge regarding the functions of circRNAs in the hallmarks, stemness, resistance of cancer, as well as the possibility of circRNAs as biomarkers in cancer.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Alternative Splicing / Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use / Binding proteins / Biological markers / Biomarkers / Biomarkers, Tumor - genetics / Biomarkers, Tumor - metabolism / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biomedicine / Cancer / Cancer Research / CircRNAs / Development and progression / Drug Resistance, Neoplasm - genetics / Function / Gastric cancer / Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Gene regulation / Genes / Genetic regulation / Genetic research / Hallmarks / Health aspects / Humans / Metastasis / MicroRNA / MicroRNAs - genetics / MicroRNAs - metabolism / miRNA / Neoplasm Proteins - genetics / Neoplasm Proteins - metabolism / Neoplasms - diagnosis / Neoplasms - drug therapy / Neoplasms - genetics / Neoplasms - metabolism / Neoplastic Stem Cells - metabolism / Neoplastic Stem Cells - pathology / Oncology / Protein binding / Proteins / Resistance / Review / Reviews / RNA / RNA - genetics / RNA - metabolism / RNA Stability / RNA, Neoplasm - genetics / RNA, Neoplasm - metabolism / RNA-binding protein / RNA-Binding Proteins - genetics / RNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism / Signal Transduction / Splicing / Stemness / Transcription / Transcription (Genetics)