Current research on circular RNA involved in breast cancer / 肿瘤

ABSTRACT

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs with covalently closed continuous loops. Owing to its specific molecular structure, circRNA is conserved and stable in vivo. Recently, the circRNAs have received extensive attention in the treatment of cancers including breast cancer. Notably, the recent evidence has demonstrated that circRNAs are aberrantly expressed in plasma and tumor tissues of breast cancer patients, and the expressions of those circRNAs in different subtypes of breast cancer were also heterogeneous. The abnormally expressed circRNAs are able to regulate the expression of cancer-related genes by binding their targeting microRNAs and other biomolecules to inhibit their functions. Moreover, the circRNAs are also considered as important players in the proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of breast cancer cells, as well as the treatment toxicities and drug-resistance. This paper reviews the biological characteristics and functional roles of cancer-related circRNAs, especially the current research on their association with occurrence, progression and drug-resistance of breast cancer.