Mechanism of action of circular RNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death worldwide and has high mortality and recurrence rates and low survival rates. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of single-stranded closed circular RNA molecules with tissue- and development-specific expression and play a regulatory role in organisms. These circRNAs regulate the progression of HCC by acting as miRNA sponges and targeted protein-coding genes, but the basic mechanism is still unclear. This article summarizes the formation mechanism and biological functions of circRNAs, reviews the research advances in the role of circRNAs in the pathogenesis of HCC, and points out their potential value as diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for HCC.