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Roles of circRNAs in the progression of colorectal cancer: novel strategies for detection and therapy

Cancer Gene Therapy volume 31, pages 831–841 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Endogenous noncoding RNAs with a covalently closed loop are known as circular RNAs (circRNAs). Recently, published works have revealed that circRNAs, which act as microRNA sponges, are critical for the biological behavior of several kinds of malignancies, including tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, and metastasis. Additionally, there is a significant correlation between circRNAs and tumor resistance, stage, prognosis, and size. At present, colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most serious malignant tumors for human health. CircRNAs could represent potential targets to use in the prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of CRC, according to many studies. To fully comprehend the role of circRNAs in the incidence and progression of CRC, this review outlines the regulatory role and mechanisms of circRNAs in CRC and assesses their potential relevance as diagnostic and treatment possibilities for CRC. Our goal is to offer meaningful biological information for clinical evaluation and decision-making process for CRC treatment.

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Fig. 1: CircRNA formation and interaction. Splicing of pre-mRNA and removal of introns eventually results in the formation of linear RNA.
Fig. 2: The role of circRNAs in regulating cellular processes.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the Liaoning Key Laboratory of Cancer Stem Cells and College of Basic Medical Sciences, Dalian Medical University.

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  1. Department of Medical Morphology Laboratory, Dalian Medical University’s College of Basic Medical Sciences is located in Dalian, 116044, Dalian, China

    Jun Mao & Ying Lu

  2. Liaoning Key Laboratory of Cancer Stem Cells, Dalian Medical University’s College of Basic Medical Sciences is located in Dalian, 116044, Dalian, China

    Jun Mao & Ying Lu

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Ying Lu participated in the ideation, preliminary draft of the manuscript, creation of the graphics, visualization, and general editing. Jun Mao helped with the finance, supported review development, and overall editing. No possible conflicts of interest have been acknowledged by the authors with regard to the research, writing, or publication of this article.

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Mao, J., Lu, Y. Roles of circRNAs in the progression of colorectal cancer: novel strategies for detection and therapy. Cancer Gene Ther 31, 831–841 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41417-024-00739-x

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