Title:Circular RNAs: Insights into Clinical and Therapeutic Approaches for
Various Cancers
Volume: 24
Issue: 2
Author(s): Ikram ul Haq, Fatima Akram*, Narmeen Nasir and Fatima Iftikhar Shah
Affiliation:
- Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Government College University, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan
Keywords:
Biomarker, circRNAs, cancer, diagnosis, downregulation, expression, upregulation.
Abstract:
Background: With the advent of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, circular RNAs
(circRNAs) are swiftly becoming one of the significant regulators of gene expression and cellular
functions. A plethora of multiple molecular mechanisms has been observed to elicit their influence.
Objective: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a distinct category of endogenous noncoding RNAs designed
as a result of exon back splicing events in precursor’s mRNAs (pre-mRNAs) and are widely
distributed in the transcriptome of eukaryotic cells.
Methods: Although the role of circRNAs is still in its infancy, they serve as microRNA sponges, protein
scaffolds, and modulators of transcription and splicing and occasionally as templates for the production
of peptides.
Results: It is well known that abnormal circRNA expression is prevalent in malignancies and has been
linked to a number of pathophysiological aspects of cancer. This extensively anomalous expression
assists in cellular proliferation and growth, sustaining cellular invasiveness and bypassing cellular senescence
and death, thus advocating their promise to serve as both clinical biomarkers and therapeutic
targets.
Conclusion: An overview of the recent status of circRNA will aid in the identification of new biomarkers,
therapeutic targets, and their prospect in the diagnosis and therapy of disease. In this review
article, we discuss the functional mechanisms of circRNAs, their biomarker potential in disease diagnosis
and prognosis, therapeutic approaches, and the associated limitations.