Circular RNAs in Hematopoiesis with a Focus on Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) constitute a recently recognized group of noncoding transcripts that function as posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression at a new level. Recent developments in experimental methods together with rapidly evolving bioinformatics approaches have accelerated the explor...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Michaela Dostalova Merkerova, Zdenek Krejcik, Katarina Szikszai, David Kundrat
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-08-01
Series:International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/17/5972
Description
Summary:Circular RNAs (circRNAs) constitute a recently recognized group of noncoding transcripts that function as posttranscriptional regulators of gene expression at a new level. Recent developments in experimental methods together with rapidly evolving bioinformatics approaches have accelerated the exploration of circRNAs. The differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells into a broad spectrum of specialized blood lineages is a tightly regulated process that depends on a multitude of factors, including circRNAs. However, despite the growing number of circRNAs described to date, the roles of the majority of them in hematopoiesis remain unknown. Given their stability and disease-specific expression, circRNAs have been acknowledged as novel promising biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In this paper, the biogenesis, characteristics, and roles of circRNAs are reviewed with an emphasis on their currently recognized or presumed involvement in hematopoiesis, especially in acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.
ISSN:1661-6596
1422-0067