环状RNA:潜在的新型miRNA活性调控分子

环状RNA(circular RNA,circRNA)是近年来RNA领域最新的研究热点.它是一类由特殊的选择性剪切产生且在真核细胞中广泛表达的环形内源性RNA分子.研究发现,circRNA富含microRNA(miRNA)结合位点,可以发挥竞争性内源RNA作用,作为miRNA"海绵"来解除对其靶基因的抑制效应.近年来,circRNA作为一种新型调控分子调控miRNA功能的发挥,受到众多研究者的青睐.本文综述circRNA的产生机制,及其调控miRNA的最新研究进展与研究方法等.

Circular RNA: Potential New Type of miRNA Active Regulatory Molecules

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a recent addition to the growing list of types of noncoding RNA. In recent years, circRNA analysis has been the latest popular research in RNA fields. It is a kind of circular endogenous RNA molecules produced by special selectivity of shear and widely expressed in eukaryotic cells. Recent studies have revealed thousands of endogenous circRNAs in mammalian cells, some of which are highly abundant and evolutionarily conserved. Evidence is emerging that some circRNAs might regulate microRNA (miRNA), because of circRNA containing many miRNA binding sites, which can play a role as competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) and as the miRNA “sponge” to remove the inhibition effect of the target genes. Now, many scientists are interested in its function of miRNA "sponge". Therefore, in order to attract more researchers’ attention, the circularization mechanism, the latest progress of potential regulation of miRNA, and the research methods were summarized in this paper.