文章转自：李玖明 |黄朝晖课题组

Circular RNAs open a new chapter in cardiovascular biology

Simona Aufiero1,2, Yolan J.Reckman1, Yigal M. Pinto1 and Esther E. Creemers1*

1区15.162Nat Rev Cardiol. 2019 Apr 5. doi:10.1038/s41569-019-0185-2. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract

Circular RNAs(circRNAs) are emerging as a new class of non-coding RNA molecules. Thisunusual class of RNA species is generated by a back-splicing event of one ortwo exons, resulting in a covalently closed circRNA molecule. Owing to theircircular form, circRNAs are protected from degradation by exonucleases andhave greater stability than linear RNA. Advances in computational analysis ofRNA sequencing have revealed that thousands of different circRNAs are expressedin a wide range of mammalian tissues, including the cardiovascular system.Moreover, numerous circRNAs are expressed in a disease-specific manner. A greatdeal of progress has been made in understanding the biogenesis andfunction of these circRNAs. In this Review, we discuss the currentunderstanding of circRNA biogenesis and function, with a particular emphasis onthe cardiovascular system.

推荐理由：

1.由于它们的环状形式，circRNA被外切核酸酶保护免于降解并且比线性RNA具有更高的稳定性。

2.RNA测序的计算分析的进展表明，数千种不同的circRNA在多种哺乳动物组织中表达，包括心血管系统。

3.讨论了目前对circRNA生物发生和功能的理解，尤其是心血管系统。

4.未来将是circRNA领域的一个激动人心的时期，届时将发现更多的功能和疾病机制。