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Mobius strip in pancreatic cancer: biogenesis, function and clinical significance of circular RNAs

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Abstract

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a kind of common digestive system cancer with the worst prognosis for its insidious symptoms and high invasiveness. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are endogenous non-coding RNAs with covalently closed circular structure, which are more stable and conservative than linear RNAs and process major functions of microRNA (miRNA) sponge, RNA binding protein (RBP) sponge and polypeptide translation template. Incremental researches have proved that circRNAs express aberrantly and play a vital role in various types of cancer. Hence, we reviewed the biogenesis, degradation, characteristics, and biological functions of circRNAs and summarized the roles circRNAs played in the proliferation, invasion, metastasis, chemoresistance and exosome-mediated intercellular communication of PC. We then summed up a workflow regarding circRNA research in cancer and relative specific databases and experimental methods. In the future, more efforts ought to be put into circRNAs research in PC, including basic research of discovering and testifying circRNAs centered ceRNA networks, and clinical research of exploiting exosomal or circulating circRNAs as a diagnostic biomarker, chemotherapy sensitivity predictor and prognostic predictor.

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Abbreviations

PC:

Pancreatic cancer

PDAC:

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

circRNA:

Circular RNA

miRNA:

MicroRNA

RBP:

RNA binding protein

ncRNA:

Non-coding RNA

lncRNA:

Long non-coding RNA

pre-mRNA:

Precursor RNA

elciRNA:

Exon–intron circRNA

snRNP:

Small nuclear ribonucleoproteins

EMT:

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition

WWOX:

WW Domain Containing Oxidoreductase

ORF:

Open reading frame

IRES:

Internal ribosome entry sites

CA19-9:

Carbohydrate antigen 19-9

GPC-1:

Glypican-1

LN:

Lymph node

BC:

Bladder cancer

RCCC:

Renal clear cell carcinoma

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Funding

WWB received support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81773215) and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (No.2019XK320002).

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Author notes

  1. Bangbo Zhao and Zeru Li contributed equally to this review.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, China

    Bangbo Zhao, Zeru Li, Cheng Qin, Tianhao Li, Yuanyang Wang, Hongtao Cao, Xiaoying Yang & Weibin Wang

Authors
  1. Bangbo Zhao
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  2. Zeru Li
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  3. Cheng Qin
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  4. Tianhao Li
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  7. Xiaoying Yang
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  8. Weibin Wang
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Contributions

BZ and ZL contributed equally to this review. WW, YZ, BZ and ZL raised the concept. BZ and ZL conducted the literature review and wrote the first draft. CQ, TL and HC drew the figures. XY and YW drew the tables. All authors revised and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Weibin Wang.

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Zhao, B., Li, Z., Qin, C. et al. Mobius strip in pancreatic cancer: biogenesis, function and clinical significance of circular RNAs. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 78, 6201–6213 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-021-03908-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-021-03908-5

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