Biogenesis, functions, and role of circRNAs in lung cancer

Abstract

CircRNAs, a class of endogenous non-coding RNAs with closed-loop structures, have attracted increasing attention because of their good stability, high specificity of tissue expression, long half-life, and highly conserved sequence. CircRNAs have multiple biologi-cal functions, including miRNA sponge, transcription regulator, protein translation, interac-tion with protein, RNA maturation, and so on. These functions indicate the important role of circRNAs in tumorigenesis and malignant progression and their potential as potent diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic molecules. In recent years, an increasing body of evidence suggests that circRNAs play a crucial role in proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of lung cancer cells. Therefore, circRNAs have gradually become a research focus in the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer patients. This review summarizes the classification, biogenesis, and function of circRNAs, and discusses the role of circRNAs in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of lung cancer patients.