Biological functions of circular RNAs and their roles in occurrence of reproduction and gynecological diseases

摘要

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a large class of non coding endogenous RNAs in eukaryotic that are formed through 3’-5’ ligation of a single RNA molecule. According to the different sources of the sequences, circRNA can be divided into three types: exon circRNA (ecRNA), intron circRNA (ciRNA), and exon-intron circRNA. Accumulating studies have shown that circRNAs are abundant, diverse, stable, and cell or tissue specific expression, etc. CircRNA plays a regulating role in gene expression, and an essential role in the process of biological development, such as miRNA sponges, endogenous RNAs and biomarkers, as well as critical role in the diagnosis of diseases. Studies have verified the interplay between circRNAs and the development of embryos, sperms, ovarian epithelial tumors, endometrial cancer and preeclampsia, suggesting the potential of circRNAs to become biomarkers or therapeutical targets for human diseases. In this paper, we reviewed the researches on circRNAs’ characteristics, databases of circRNA, high-throughput sequencing of circRNA, and effect on reproductive and gynecological diseases.