Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a cardiovascular disease that seriously threatens human health and brings huge economic burden. At present, its pathogenesis remains unclear and its treatment is limited to surgical treatment. With the deepening and analysis of studies on the mechanism of ferroptosis, a new idea has been provided for the clinical management of AAA patients, including diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Therefore, this paper aims to construct a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory axis based on ferroptosis to preliminarily explore the pathogenesis and potential therapeutic targets of AAA. We obtained upregulated and downregulated ferroptosis-related DEGs (FRGs) from GSE144431 dataset and 60 known ferroptosis-related genes. Pearson correlation analysis was used to find aldoketone reductase 1C (AKR1C1) in AAA samples. Enrichment analysis of these genes was performed via Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Correlation test between immune cells and AKR1C1 was investigated through single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA). The AKR1C1-miRNA pairs were predicted by the TargetScan database and miRWalk database. Circular RNA (CircRNA)-miRNA pairs were selected by the CircInteractome database. Overlapping miRNA between circRNA-miRNA and AKR1C1-miRNA pairs was visualized by Venn diagram. Finally, the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA axis was constructed by searching for upstream circRNA and downstream mRNA of overlapping miRNA. Only one downregulated AKR1C1 gene was found in GSE144431 and 60 ferroptosis-related genes. Functional Enrichment and Pathway Analysis of AKR1C1-related genes were further explored, and it was observed that they were mainly enriched in \"response to oxidative stress,\" \"glutathione biosynthetic process\" and \"nonribosomal peptide biosynthetic process,\" \"Ferroptosis,\" \"Glutathione metabolism\" and \"Chemical carcinogenesis-reactive oxygen species.\" They were also found to be significantly associated with most immune cells, including Activated Dendritic cells, CD56dim Natural killer cells, Gamma Delta T cells, Immature B cells, Plasmacytoid dendritic cell, Type 2 T helper cell, Activated CD4 T cell and Type 1 T helper cell. Has_circ_0005073-miRNA-543 and AKR1C1-miRNA-543 were identified by Online Database analysis. Therefore, we have established the has_circ_0005073/miRNA-543/AKR1C1 axis in AAA. We found AKR1C1 was differentially expressed between normal and AAA groups. Based on AKR1C1, we constructed the has_circ_0005073/miRNA-543/AKR1C1 axis to analyze AAA.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a serious central nervous system disease with high disability and mortality rates and complex pathophysiologic mechanisms. MicroRNA (miRNA), as a kind of non-coding RNA, plays an important role in SCI. miRNA is involved in the regulation of inflammatory response, oxidative stress, axonal regeneration, and apoptosis after SCI, and interacts with long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and circular RNA (circRNA) to regulate the pathophysiological process of SCI. This paper summarizes the changes in miRNA expression after SCI, and reviews the targeting mechanism of miRNA in SCI and the current research status of miRNA-targeted drugs to provide new targets and new horizons for basic and clinical research on SCI.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a new group of endogenous RNAs recently found to be involved in the development of various diseases, including their confirmed involvement in the progression of several types of cancers. Unluckily, the abnormal expression and functions of circRNAs in breast cancer shall be further investigated. This work aims to elucidate the action and molecular mechanism of circHSDL2 in the malignant progression of breast cancer. Differential expression profiles of circRNAs in breast cancer tissues relative to normal breast tissues and in the exosomes of breast cancer patients compared to healthy women were analyzed from databases to identify potentially functional circRNAs. CircHSDL2 was selected for further investigation. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion assays were done to assess the effect of circHSDL2 overexpression on breast cancer cells. Bioinformatics test and dual-luciferase reporter experiments were done to explore the interaction between circHSDL2 and miRNA. Downstream target genes were further investigated through proteomics analysis and Western blotting. The influence of circHSDL2 on breast cancer in vivo was evaluated through xenograft experiments in nude mice. Functional analysis demonstrated circHSDL2 overexpression promoted the division, movement, and invasion of breast cancer cells both in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, circHSDL2 acted as a sponge for miR-7978 to affect ZNF704 expression and thereby regulate the Hippo pathway in breast cancer cells. In conclusion, circHSDL2 regulates the Hippo pathway through the miR-7978/ZNF704 axis to facilitate the malignancy of breast cancer. This may be a potential biomarker and treatment target.

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Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common malignant tumors among women in the 21st century, whose mortality rate is increasing every year. Currently, the diagnosis of EC is possible only after a biopsy. However, it is necessary to find a new biomarker that will help in both the diagnosis and treatment of EC in a non-invasive way. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are small, covalently closed spherical and stable long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) molecules, which are abundant in both body fluids and human tissues and are expressed in various ways. Considering the new molecular classification of EC, many studies have appeared, describing new insights into the functions and mechanisms of circRNAs in EC. In this review article, we focused on the problem of EC and the molecular aspects of its division, as well as the biogenesis, functions, and diagnostic and clinical significance of circRNAs in EC.

T lymphocytes play a critical role in antitumor immunity, but their exhaustion poses a significant challenge for immune evasion by malignant cells. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), characterized by their covalently closed looped structure, have emerged as pivotal regulators within the neoplastic landscape. Recent studies have highlighted their multifaceted roles in cellular processes, including gene expression modulation and protein function regulation, which are often disrupted in cancer. In this review, we systematically explore the intricate interplay between circRNAs and T cell modulation within the tumor microenvironment. By dissecting the regulatory mechanisms through which circRNAs impact T cell exhaustion, we aim to uncover pathways crucial for immune evasion and T cell dysfunction. These insights can inform innovative immunotherapeutic strategies targeting circRNA-mediated molecular pathways. Additionally, we discuss the translational potential of circRNAs as biomarkers for therapeutic response prediction and as intervention targets. Our comprehensive analysis aims to enhance the understanding of immune evasion dynamics in the tumor microenvironment by facilitating the development of precision immunotherapy.

Eggshell color plays important biological roles and attracts the attention of both egg retailers and researchers. However, whether non-coding RNAs are involved in pigment deposition among different eggshell colors remains unknown. In this study, RNA sequencing was used to analyse the uterine gland transcriptome (CircRNA and miRNA) of Changshun chicken blue-shell hens producing four different eggshell color eggs including dark blue PK(DB) and light blue (LB), dark brown and greenish (between blue and pink, DP) and pink (p). We found that miR-192-x, targeting SLC16a7, was expressed in DB, DP, and LB groups compared with the PK group, which indicates that miR-192-x may play a role in the blue eggshell color. KEGG and GO analyses showed that the \"metabolic pathways\" with targeted genes such BLVRA and HMOX1 were detected in dark and light blue color eggshell chickens, which confirms the different ratios of biliverdin and HO-1 involved in the deposition of blue color. As annotated by connectivity analysis, RASGRF1 and RASGRF2, belonging to the RASGRF family, are involved in the Ras signaling pathway, which plays an important role in cell growth, differentiation, metastasis and apoptosis. Our findings enrich the database of circRNA, miRNAs and genes for chicken uterine tissue, which will be useful in accelerating molecular selection for blue eggshell color layers.

Renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) is a classic pathophysiological process of chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the mechanisms underlying RIF remain unclear. The present study found that a novel circular RNA, cirInpp5b, might be involved in RIF by high-throughput sequencing. Subsequent experiments revealed that circInpp5b was reduced in UUO mouse kidney tissues and TGF-β1-treated proximal tubular cells. The overexpression of circInpp5b inhibited RIF in UUO mice and prevented extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition in TGF-β1-treated proximal tubular cells. Furthermore, overexpression of circInpp5b down-regulated the protein level of DDX1. Mechanistically, circInpp5b bound to the DDX1 protein and promoted its lysosomal degradation. Collectively, the findings of our study demonstrate that circInpp5b ameliorates RIF by binding to the DDX1 protein and promoting its lysosomal degradation.

BACKGROUND: Existing studies have found that circular RNAs (circRNAs) act as sponges for micro RNAs (miRNAs) to control downstream genes. However, the specific functionalities and mechanisms of circRNAs in human clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) have yet to be thoroughly investigated.
METHODS: Patient cohorts from online databases were used to screen candidate circRNAs, while another cohort from our hospital was obtained for validation. CircSOD2 was identified as a potential oncogenic target, and its relevant characteristics were investigated during ccRCC progression through various assays. A positive feedback loop containing downstream miRNA and its target gene were identified using bioinformatics and validated by luciferase reporter assays, RNA pull-down, and high-throughput sequencing.
RESULTS: CircSOD2 expression was elevated in tumor samples and significantly correlated with overall survival (OS) and the tumor stage of ccRCC patients, which appeared in the enhanced proliferation, invasion, and migration of tumor cells. Through competitive binding to circSOD2, miR-532-3p can promote the expression of PAX5 and the progression of ccRCC, and such regulation can be salvaged by miR-532-3p inhibitor.
CONCLUSIONS: A novel positive feedback loop, PAX5/circSOD2/miR-532-3p/PAX5 was identified in the study, indicating that the loop may play an important role in the diagnosis and prognostic prediction in ccRCC patients.

BACKGROUND: At present, it has been found that many patients have acquired resistance to radiotherapy, which greatly reduces the effect of radiotherapy and further affects the prognosis. CircRNAs is involved in the regulation of radiosensitivity of many kinds of tumor cells. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to explore the regulatory effect of CircRNA_101491 on radiosensitivity of ESCC and its related mechanism.
METHODS: We established ESCC radiation-resistant cell line (KYSE150R cell) by gradient dose method, and tested the difference of KYSE150 between KYSE150R cell and parent cell in vitro. Then, after knocking down the expression of CircRNA_101491, a series of in vitro experiments were conducted to verify the effects of CircRNA_101491 on the phenotype and radiosensitivity of KYSE150R cells, and further analyzed the related regulatory mechanism. In addition, we also used the model of transplanted tumor in nude mice to investigate the effect of CircRNA_101491 on the radiosensitivity of ESCC in vivo.
RESULTS: According to a series of in vitro experiments, we confirmed that KYSE150R cells lost the epithelial phenotype and obtained interstitial cell-like phenotype, and found that CircRNA_101491 was highly expressed in KYSE150R cells. In addition, we found that knocking down the expression of CircRNA_101491 will lift the inhibition of miR-125a-5p, and then reverse the process of EMT, accelerate the process of apoptosis, thus play a role in radiosensitization. The in vivo experiment of transplanted tumor in nude mice also showed that knocking down the expression of CircRNA_101491 could enhance the radiosensitivity of ESCC.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, we confirmed that interfering with the expression of CircRNA_101491 can relieve the inhibition of miR-125a-5p, thus reverse the process of interstitial phenotype, accelerate the process of apoptosis, and enhance the radiosensitivity of ESCC.