Circular RNA, also called circRNA, is a type of widespread RNA that is mainly derived from the spliceosome, from which DNA is transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA). CircRNAs are characterized… Click to show full abstract
Circular RNA, also called circRNA, is a type of widespread RNA that is mainly derived from the spliceosome, from which DNA is transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA). CircRNAs are characterized by the formation of a covalently closed continuous loop, and they play a variety of gene regulatory roles. CircRNAs were initially thought to represent splicing errors, but an increasing amount of evidence indicates that they may play significant roles in a variety of human diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, and pre-eclampsia. Studies have suggested that circRNAs regulate miRNA activity that arises from miRNA-mediated sponge effects. It has been shown that CDR1as acts as a sponge for miR-7 and that a testis-specific circRNA within the sex-determining region of Y (SRY) acts as a sponge for miR-138. Because miR-7 and miR-138 modulate several oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, the interactions between ciRS-7 and miR-7 and between SRY and miR-138 may play important roles in cancer-related pathways. Hence, currently available data suggest that circRNAs may exert significant effects on diagnoses, prognoses, and therapies in ovarian cancer.
               
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