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
. 2025:1485:273-327.
doi: 10.1007/978-981-96-9428-0_18.

Circular RNAs and Cancers

Mohammad Mahdi Heidari  1   2   3 , Mohammad Saeid Moeinfar  2   3 , Mahdi Rafiyan  2   3 , Parsa Sepehri  2   3 , Ameneh Jafari  4 , Arash Raisi  2   3 , Fatemeh Aslanbeigi  2   3 , Ashkan Bahrami  2   3 , Maryam Nasr Azadani  2   3 , Neda Rahimian  5   6 , Maryam Mahjoubin-Tehran  7 , Hamed Mirzaei  8
Affiliations
Review

Circular RNAs and Cancers

Mohammad Mahdi Heidari et al. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2025.

Abstract

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a recently discovered type of endogenous RNA molecules that are formed through the back-splicing process of exons in precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs), resulting in a unique covalently closed circular structure. CircRNAs are just beginning to be acknowledged for their roles as microRNA sponges and protein scaffolds, their ability to regulate transcription and splicing, and their occasional use as templates for polypeptide synthesis. However, the exploration of their functions is still in its early stages. circRNAs have essential functions in a wide range of different cellular functions. The abnormal presence of circRNAs in tumors contributes to continuous cell proliferation and growth, enhances invasion capabilities, and evades the process of cell aging and death. This indicates the possibility of using them as markers and targets for treatment in a clinical setting. This article provides a thorough examination of current advancements in the study of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in cancer, focusing particularly on their molecular mechanisms and potential impact in a clinical setting.

Keywords: Cancer; Circular RNAs; Noncoding RNAs.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Sanger HL, Klotz G, Riesner D, Gross HJ, Kleinschmidt AK (1976) Viroids are single-stranded covalently closed circular RNA molecules existing as highly base-paired rod-like structures. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 73(11):3852–3856. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.73.11.3852 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Hsu MT, Coca-Prados M (1979) Electron microscopic evidence for the circular form of RNA in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. Nature 280(5720):339–340. https://doi.org/10.1038/280339a0 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kos A, Dijkema R, Arnberg AC, van der Meide PH, Schellekens H (1986) The hepatitis delta (delta) virus possesses a circular RNA. Nature 323(6088):558–560. https://doi.org/10.1038/323558a0 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Salzman J, Gawad C, Wang PL, Lacayo N, Brown PO (2012) Circular RNAs are the predominant transcript isoform from hundreds of human genes in diverse cell types. PLoS One 7(2):e30733. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0030733 - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Hansen TB, Jensen TI, Clausen BH, Bramsen JB, Finsen B, Damgaard CK, Kjems J (2013) Natural RNA circles function as efficient microRNA sponges. Nature 495(7441):384–388. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11993 - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources