Circular RNA transcripts were first identified in the early 1990s but knowledge of these species has remained limited, as their study through traditional methods of RNA analysis has been difficult Now, novel bioinformatic approaches coupled with biochemical enrichment strategies and deep sequencing have allowed comprehensive studies of circular RNA species Recent studies have revealed thousands of endogenous circular RNAs in mammalian cells, some of which are highly abundant and evolutionarily conserved Evidence is emerging that some circRNAs might regulate microRNA (miRNA) function, and roles in transcriptional control have also been suggested Therefore, study of this class of noncoding RNAs has potential implications for therapeutic and research applications We believe the key future challenge for the field will be to understand the regulation and function of these unusual molecules

Detecting and characterizing circular RNAs

Unlike linear RNAs terminated with 5′ caps and 3′ tails, circular RNAs are characterized by covalently closed loop structures with neither 5′ to 3′ polarity nor polyadenylated tail. This intrinsic characteristic has led to the general under-estimation of the existence of circular RNAs in previous polyadenylated transcriptome analyses. With the advent of specific biochemical and computational approaches, a large number of circular RNAs from back-spliced exons (circRNAs) have been identified in various cell lines and across different species. Recent studies have uncovered that back-splicing requires canonical spliceosomal machinery and can be facilitated by both complementary sequences and specific protein factors. In this review, we highlight our current understanding of the regulation of circRNA biogenesis, including both the competition between splicing and back-splicing and the previously under-appreciated alternative circularization.

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Regulation of circRNA biogenesis

Circular RNA: A new star of noncoding RNAs

It is now clear that there is a diversity of circular RNAs in biological systems. Circular RNAs can be produced by the direct ligation of 5′ and 3′ ends of linear RNAs, as intermediates in RNA processing reactions, or by “backsplicing,” wherein a downstream 5′ splice site (splice donor) is joined to an upstream 3′ splice site (splice acceptor). Circular RNAs have unique properties including the potential for rolling circle amplification of RNA, the ability to rearrange the order of genomic information, protection from exonucleases, and constraints on RNA folding. Circular RNAs can function as templates for viroid and viral replication, as intermediates in RNA processing reactions, as regulators of transcription in cis, as snoRNAs, and as miRNA sponges. Herein, we review the breadth of circular RNAs, their biogenesis and metabolism, and their known and anticipated functions.

/pdf/circular-rnas-diversity-of-form-and-function-ghxg4z3np0.pdf

Circular RNAs: diversity of form and function

https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/0092-8674(81)90390-1.pdf

E.F.J. Van Bruggen

Papers

Some yeast mitochondrial RNAs are circular

[Multiple D-loops in Tetrahymena mitochondrial DNA].