Biology of Circulating mRNA: Still More Questions Than Answers?

摘要

A few years after the first description of free-circulating DNA in plasma and serum, the detection of tumor-associated overex-pressed mRNA in plasma was also reported. This observation has been confirmed and it seems to be clear that the presence of free-circulating RNA is a ubiquitous phenomenon. In this short review I will discuss some basic aspects of the release mechanisms for the RNA, its biological meaning, and clinical value.