Modulation of cancer progression by circRNA/ NF-kB axis

Tahmine Ostovar; Golnaz Goodarzi; Sadra  Samavarchi Tehrani

doi:10.18502/abi.v1i4.14717

Tahmine Ostovar International Campus, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Golnaz Goodarzi Department of Pathobiology and Laboratory Sciences, School of Medicine, North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, Bojnurd, Iran
Sadra Samavarchi Tehrani Endocrine Research Center, Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/abi.v1i4.14717

Keywords: Circular RNA, Cancer, NF-κB pathway, Back-splicing

Abstract

The newest class of noncoding RNAs with distinctive characteristics is called circular RNAs (circRNAs). These novel RNAs are more stable than other RNAs because they lack 5’ and 3’ ends, instead having their two ends created from pre-mRNA through a process called back-splicing. They are also widely expressed in a variety of species, including viruses, plants, and mammals. There is growing evidence that circRNAs are enriched in the NF-κB pathway. The development of many types of malignancies is associated with aberrant activation of the NF-κB pathway. Recent findings indicate that the circRNA/NF-κB axis controls the expression of genes linked to cancer and, consequently, the growth of tumors. Moreover, circRNAs might interact with the NF-κB pathway to affect biological processes of cells. A comprehensive understanding of the molecular processes behind the involvement of circRNA linked to the NF-κB pathway in the progression of distinct malignancies would provide novel opportunities for cancer therapy. Therefore, this article will briefly discuss the function of circRNAs and the NFκB pathway in cancer. Next, it will address the crucial role that circRNAs associated with NF-κB play in the progression of different types of malignancies.