Circular RNA Regulation of CNS Neuroinflammatory Mechanisms

Abstract

Circular RNA (circRNA) involve in the regulation of gene expression and functions as non-coding RNA molecules produced from back-splicing process which form circular structures. the main types of circRNAs include ciRNA, EciRNA, ecircRNA, tricRNA, of which the ecircRNA is more prevalent and mainly distributed in the cytoplasm. CircRNAs have several biogenesis methods including lariat circularization, RBP dependent circularization, and intron pairing circularization. In the context of CNS, circRNA expression profiles are reported tissue type-dependent and developmental stage-specific. These patterns are highly associated with the development of neurons, changes in synapses as well as the aging of neurons. In the neurodegenerative diseases which include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and acute ischemic stroke (AIS), circRNAs act important functions. These they mostly act through binding and storing of miRNAs, and modulation of immune activities and protein actions during neuroinflammation. These diseases therefore hold circRNA deregulation as a promising biomarker in NDDs and novel therapeutic targets. RNA interference, CRISPR-Cas9, exosome or nanoparticle delivery are some of the approaches developed in current research to regulate circRNA with the purpose of alleviating symptoms of central nervous system diseases.