Circular RNA: Functions, Applications and Prospects
A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "RNA".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2022) | Viewed by 3396
Special Issue Editors
Interests: cancer genomics and transcriptomics; bioinformatics; systems biology; microRNAs; circular RNAs
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a large class of molecules whose biogenesis and pleiotropic functions spark interest in several biological and medical fields. CircRNAs are covalently closed RNA loops generated by backsplicing and are produced by most eukaryotic genes. They were proven to be more stable than linear transcripts, evolutionary conserved and expressed with cell and developmental stage specificity.
Most importantly, circRNAs have regulatory roles and can drive disease and cancer, with different mechanisms. They control key regulatory axes by regulating gene expression at transcriptional and at post-transcriptional level, by decoying microRNAs. CircRNAs also modulate the function RNA-binding proteins, a broad class of peptides with extremely diverse cellular roles. Of high interest, recent studies indicate that some circRNAs are effectively translated into detectable peptides with biological functions.
The quest for their oncogenic or tumor suppressor functions has linked circRNAs to different cancer hallmarks and cancer-related mechanisms. Plasmatic and exosomal circRNAs are under close scrutiny for their potential as biomarkers and their roles in paracrine circuits, with important implications also in tumour dissemination.
This Special Issue in Genes on “Circular RNA: functions, applications and prospects” addresses the new discoveries about circRNAs functions in all the biological fields and about the present and future translational opportunities offered by circRNAs.
We welcome the submission of original studies presenting new data about circRNAs functions and new methods to elucidate the biological roles of these fascinating molecules, as well as seminal literature reviews and perspectives about the most relevant applications of the growing knowledge of circRNA biology.
Prof. Dr. Stefania Bortoluzzi
Prof. Dr. Silvia Bresolin
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- circular RNA
- regulatory axes
- coding circular RNAs
- circRNA-protein interactions
- functional studies
- therapeutic applications
- biomarkers
- circulating circular RNAs
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