Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jul 16;8(4):159-168.
doi: 10.1159/000517303. eCollection 2021 Oct.

CircRNAs: Insights into Gastric Cancer

Sanjana Rajgopal  1 , Sherine Joanna Fredrick  1 , Venkatachalam Deepa Parvathi  1
Affiliations
Review

CircRNAs: Insights into Gastric Cancer

Sanjana Rajgopal et al. Gastrointest Tumors. .

Abstract

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is recorded as the fifth most common cancer globally. The classic resemblance of early symptoms of chronic gastritis including nausea, dysphagia, and dyspepsia with GC is the current challenge limiting the early diagnosis of GC. The current diagnostic procedures of GC are limited due to their invasive nature. This directs the research question toward alternative approaches, specifically at the molecular level. Recent advances in molecular regulation of cancer suggest the prominence of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the multistep process of tumourigenesis.

Summary: CircRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs, abundant in eukaryotes, with key roles in regulating genes and miRNAs as well as the alteration of processes involved in pathological conditions. Research studies have demonstrated the participation of circRNAs in the initiation and progression of tumours. This review provides a comprehensive insight into the potential of circRNAs as disease biomarkers for the early detection and treatment of GC.

Key messages: This study is an amalgamation of the implications and future prospects of circRNAs for the detection and potential treatment of GC.

Keywords: Biomarker; Circular RNAs; Diagnosis; Gastric cancer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Biogenesis and functions of circRNAs. CircRNA, circular RNA; miRNA, microRNA; EcRNA, exonic circular RNA; EIci­RNA, exon-intron circular RNA; ciRNA, intronic circular RNA; IRES, internal ribosome entry site; U1 snRNP, U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle; RNA POL II, RNA polymerase II.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Torre LA, Bray F, Siegel RL, Ferlay J, Lortet-Tieulent J, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics, 2012. CA Cancer J Clin. 2015 Mar;65((2)):87–108. - PubMed
    1. Sanger HL, Klotz G, Riesner D, Gross HJ, Kleinschmidt AK. Viroids are single-stranded covalently closed circular RNA molecules existing as highly base-paired rod-like structures. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976;73((11)):3852–6. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hansen TB, Wiklund ED, Bramsen JB, Villadsen SB, Statham AL, Clark SJ, et al. MiRNA-dependent gene silencing involving Ago2-mediated cleavage of a circular antisense RNA. EMBO J. 2011 Nov;30((21)):4414–22. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Al-Balool HH, Weber D, Liu Y, Wade M, Guleria K, Nam PL, et al. Post-transcriptional exon shuffling events in humans can be evolutionarily conserved and abundant. Genome Res. 2011 Nov;21((11)):1788–99. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kelly S, Greenman C, Cook PR, Papantonis A. Exon skipping is correlated with exon circularization. J Mol Biol. 2015 Jul;427((15)):2414–7. - PubMed