scholarly journals CRAFT: a bioinformatics software for custom prediction of circular RNA functions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Dal Molin ◽  
Enrico Gaffo ◽  
Valeria Difilippo ◽  
Alessia Buratin ◽  
Caterina Tretti Parenzan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Circular Rna ◽  
Functional Enrichment ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Functional Investigation

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), transcripts generated by backsplicing, are particularly stable and pleiotropic molecules, whose dysregulation drives human diseases and cancer by modulating gene expression and signaling pathways. CircRNAs can regulate cellular processes by different mechanisms, including interaction with microRNAs (miRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins (RBP), and encoding specific peptides. The prediction of circRNA functions is instrumental to interpret their impact in diseases, and to prioritize circRNAs for functional investigation. Currently, circRNA functional predictions are provided by web databases that do not allow custom analyses, while self-standing circRNA prediction tools are mostly limited to predict only one type of function, mainly focusing on the miRNA sponge activity of circRNAs. To solve these issues, we developed CRAFT (CircRNA Function prediction Tool), a freely available computational pipeline that predicts circRNA sequence and molecular interactions with miRNAs and RBP, along with their coding potential. Analysis of a set of circRNAs with known functions has been used to appraise CRAFT predictions and to optimize its setting. CRAFT provides a comprehensive graphical visualization of the results, links to several knowledge databases, and extensive functional enrichment analysis. Moreover, it originally combines the predictions for different circRNAs. CRAFT is a useful tool to help the user explore the potential regulatory networks involving the circRNAs of interest and generate hypotheses about the cooperation of circRNAs into the modulation of biological processes.

Novel insights toward human stroke-related epigenetics: circular RNA and its impact in poststroke processes

Epigenomics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (22) ◽  
pp. 1957-1968
Author(s):  
Pablo W Silva ◽  
Samara M M Shimon ◽  
Leonardo M de Brito ◽  
Laís Reis-das-Mercês ◽  
Leandro Magalhães ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Circular Rna ◽  
Functional Enrichment ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Global Expression Profile ◽  
Human Stroke ◽  
Target Rna

Aim: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are dysregulated in complex diseases, so we investigated their global expression profile in stroke. Material & methods: Public RNA-Seq data of human ischemic stroke lesion tissues and controls were used to perform the global expression analysis. Target RNA binding proteins and microRNAs were predicted in silico. Functional enrichment analysis was performed to infer the circRNAs’ potential roles. Results: We found that circRNAs are potentially involved in synaptic components and transmission, inflammation and ataxia. An integrative analysis revealed that hsa_circ_0078299 and FXN may be major players in the molecular stroke-context. Conclusion: Our results suggest a broad involvement of circRNAs in some stroke-related processes, indicating their potential as therapeutic targets to allow neuroprotection and brain recovery.

scholarly journals Insm1, Neurod1, and Pax6 promote murine pancreatic endocrine cell development through overlapping yet distinct RNA transcription and splicing programs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karrie D Dudek ◽  
Anna B Osipovich ◽  
Jean-Philippe Cartailler ◽  
Guoquing Gu ◽  
Mark A Magnuson
Keyword(s):  
Rna Splicing ◽  
Endocrine Cells ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Immunohistochemical Analysis ◽  
Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Functional Enrichment ◽  
Knock Out ◽  
Pancreatic Endocrine Cells

Abstract Insm1, Neurod1, and Pax6 are essential for the formation and function of pancreatic endocrine cells. Here, we report comparative immunohistochemical, transcriptomic, functional enrichment, and RNA splicing analyses of these genes using gene knock-out mice. Quantitative immunohistochemical analysis confirmed that elimination of each of these three factors variably impairs the proliferation, survival, and differentiation of endocrine cells. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that each factor contributes uniquely to the transcriptome although their effects were overlapping. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that genes downregulated by the elimination of Insm1, Neurod1, and Pax6 are commonly involved in mRNA metabolism, chromatin organization, secretion, and cell cycle regulation, and upregulated genes are associated with protein degradation, autophagy, and apoptotic process. Elimination of Insm1, Neurod1, and Pax6 impaired expression of many RNA-binding proteins thereby altering RNA splicing events, including for Syt14 and Snap25, two genes required for insulin secretion. All three factors are necessary for normal splicing of Syt14, and both Insm1 and Pax6 are necessary for the processing of Snap25. Collectively, these data provide new insights into how Insm1, Neurod1, and Pax6 contribute to the formation of functional pancreatic endocrine cells.

scholarly journals Regulatory role of non-coding RNA in ginseng rusty root symptom tissue

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingbo Bian ◽  
Pengcheng Yu ◽  
Ling Dong ◽  
Yan Zhao ◽  
He Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Target Genes ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Functional Enrichment ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Primary Metabolism ◽  
Non Coding Rna

AbstractGinseng rusty root symptom (GRS) is one of the primary diseases of ginseng. It leads to a severe decline in the quality of ginseng and significantly affects the ginseng industry. The regulatory mechanism of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) remains unclear in the course of disease. This study explored the long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs) in GRS tissues and healthy ginseng (HG) tissues and performed functional enrichment analysis of the screened differentially expressed ncRNAs. Considering the predictive and regulatory effects of ncRNAs on mRNAs, we integrated ncRNA and mRNA data to analyze and construct relevant regulatory networks. A total of 17,645 lncRNAs, 245 circRNAs, and 299 miRNAs were obtained from HG and GRS samples, and the obtained ncRNAs were characterized, including the classification of lncRNAs, length and distribution of circRNA, and the length and family affiliations of miRNAs. In the analysis of differentially expressed ncRNA target genes, we found that lncRNAs may be involved in the homeostatic process of ginseng tissues and that lncRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs are involved in fatty acid-related regulation, suggesting that alterations in fatty acid-related pathways may play a key role in GRS. Besides, differentially expressed ncRNAs play an essential role in regulating transcriptional translation processes, primary metabolism such as starch and sucrose, and secondary metabolism such as alkaloids in ginseng tissues. Finally, we integrated the correlations between ncRNAs and mRNAs, constructed corresponding interaction networks, and identified ncRNAs that may play critical roles in GRS. These results provide a basis for revealing GRS's molecular mechanism and enrich our understanding of ncRNAs in ginseng.

scholarly journals CircIMPACT: An R Package to Explore Circular RNA Impact on Gene Expression and Pathways

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 1044
Author(s):  
Alessia Buratin ◽  
Enrico Gaffo ◽  
Anna Dal Molin ◽  
Stefania Bortoluzzi
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
R Package ◽  
Circular Rna ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Cellular Processes

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are transcripts generated by back-splicing. CircRNAs might regulate cellular processes by different mechanisms, including interaction with miRNAs and RNA-binding proteins. CircRNAs are pleiotropic molecules whose dysregulation has been linked to human diseases and can drive cancer by impacting gene expression and signaling pathways. The detection of circRNAs aberrantly expressed in disease conditions calls for the investigation of their functions. Here, we propose CircIMPACT, a bioinformatics tool for the integrative analysis of circRNA and gene expression data to facilitate the identification and visualization of the genes whose expression varies according to circRNA expression changes. This tool can highlight regulatory axes potentially governed by circRNAs, which can be prioritized for further experimental study. The usefulness of CircIMPACT is exemplified by a case study analysis of bladder cancer RNA-seq data. The link between circHIPK3 and heparanase (HPSE) expression, due to the circHIPK3-miR558-HPSE regulatory axis previously determined by experimental studies on cell lines, was successfully detected. CircIMPACT is freely available at GitHub.

scholarly journals The Biomarker and Therapeutic Potential of Circular Rnas in Schizophrenia

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 2238
Author(s):  
Artem Nedoluzhko ◽  
Natalia Gruzdeva ◽  
Fedor Sharko ◽  
Sergey Rastorguev ◽  
Natalia Zakharova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Gene Expression Regulation ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Circular Rna ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Non Coding Rna

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are endogenous, single-stranded, most frequently non-coding RNA (ncRNA) molecules that play a significant role in gene expression regulation. Circular RNAs can affect microRNA functionality, interact with RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), translate proteins by themselves, and directly or indirectly modulate gene expression during different cellular processes. The affected expression of circRNAs, as well as their targets, can trigger a cascade of events in the genetic regulatory network causing pathological conditions. Recent studies have shown that altered circular RNA expression patterns could be used as biomarkers in psychiatric diseases, including schizophrenia (SZ); moreover, circular RNAs together with other cell molecules could provide new insight into mechanisms of this disorder. In this review, we focus on the role of circular RNAs in the pathogenesis of SZ and analyze their biomarker and therapeutic potential in this disorder.

scholarly journals Identification of Novel RNA Binding Proteins Influencing Circular RNA Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7477
Author(s):  
Rok Razpotnik ◽  
Petra Nassib ◽  
Tanja Kunej ◽  
Damjana Rozman ◽  
Tadeja Režen
Keyword(s):  
Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Circular Rna ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Bioinformatics Analyses ◽  
Published Evidence

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are increasingly recognized as having a role in cancer development. Their expression is modified in numerous cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, little is known about the mechanisms of their regulation. The aim of this study was to identify regulators of circRNAome expression in HCC. Using publicly available datasets, we identified RNA binding proteins (RBPs) with enriched motifs around the splice sites of differentially expressed circRNAs in HCC. We confirmed the binding of some of the candidate RBPs using ChIP-seq and eCLIP datasets in the ENCODE database. Several of the identified RBPs were found to be differentially expressed in HCC and/or correlated with the overall survival of HCC patients. According to our bioinformatics analyses and published evidence, we propose that NONO, PCPB2, PCPB1, ESRP2, and HNRNPK are candidate regulators of circRNA expression in HCC. We confirmed that the knocking down the epithelial splicing regulatory protein 2 (ESRP2), known to be involved in the maintenance of the adult liver phenotype, significantly changed the expression of candidate circRNAs in a model HCC cell line. By understanding the systemic changes in transcriptome splicing, we can identify new proteins involved in the molecular pathways leading to HCC development and progression.

scholarly journals The effective function of circular RNA in colorectal cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mandana Ameli-Mojarad ◽  
Melika Ameli-Mojarad ◽  
Mahrooyeh Hadizadeh ◽  
Chris Young ◽  
Hosna Babini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Circular Rna ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Colorectal Tumorigenesis ◽  
Non Coding Rnas ◽  
Mirna Sponges ◽  
Mechanisms Of Development

AbstractColorectal cancer (CRC) is the 3rd most common type of cancer worldwide. Late detection plays role in one-third of annual mortality due to CRC. Therefore, it is essential to find a precise and optimal diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for the identification and treatment of colorectal tumorigenesis. Covalently closed, circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs, which can have the same function as microRNA (miRNA) sponges, as regulators of splicing and transcription, and as interactors with RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). Therefore, circRNAs have been investigated as specific targets for diagnostic and prognostic detection of CRC. These non-coding RNAs are also linked to metastasis, proliferation, differentiation, migration, angiogenesis, apoptosis, and drug resistance, illustrating the importance of understanding their involvement in the molecular mechanisms of development and progression of CRC. In this review, we present a detailed summary of recent findings relating to the dysregulation of circRNAs and their potential role in CRC.

scholarly journals Demethylation alters transcriptome profiling of buds and leaves in ‘Kyoho’ grape

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haoran Jia ◽  
Zibo Zhang ◽  
Ehsan Sadeghnezhad ◽  
Qianqian Pang ◽  
Shangyun Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Epigenetic Modification ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Interaction Network ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Functional Enrichment ◽  
Glutathione Metabolism ◽  
Endogenous Factors

Abstract Background Grape buds and leaves are directly associated with the physiology and metabolic activities of the plant, which is monitored by epigenetic modifications induced by environment and endogenous factors. Methylation is one of the epigenetic regulators that could be involved in DNA levels and affect gene expression in response to stimuli. Therefore, changes of gene expression profile in leaves and bud through inhibitors of DNA methylation provide a deep understanding of epigenetic effects in regulatory networks. Results In this study, we carried out a transcriptome analysis of ‘Kyoho’ buds and leaves under 5-azacytidine (5-azaC) exposure and screened a large number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). GO and KEGG annotations showed that they are mainly involved in photosynthesis, flavonoid synthesis, glutathione metabolism, and other metabolic processes. Functional enrichment analysis also provided a holistic perspective on the transcriptome profile when 5-azaC bound to methyltransferase and induced demethylation. Enrichment analysis of transcription factors (TFs) also showed that the MYB, C2H2, and bHLH families are involved in the regulation of responsive genes under epigenetic changes. Furthermore, hormone-related genes have also undergone significant changes, especially gibberellin (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA)-related genes that responded to bud germination. We also used protein-protein interaction network to determine hub proteins in response to demethylation. Conclusions These findings provide new insights into the establishment of molecular regulatory networks according to how methylation as an epigenetic modification alters transcriptome patterns in bud and leaves of grape.

scholarly journals The Role of Circular RNA CDR1as/ciRS-7 in Regulating Tumor Microenvironment: A Pan-Cancer Analysis

Biomolecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zou ◽  
Zheng ◽  
Deng ◽  
Yang ◽  
Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tumor Microenvironment ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Malignant Tumors ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Functional Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Circular Rna ◽  
Gene Set Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Functional Enrichment ◽  
Receptor Interaction

Circular RNA CDR1as/ciRS-7 functions as an oncogenic regulator in various cancers. However, there has been a lack of systematic and comprehensive analysis to further elucidate its underlying role in cancer. In the current study, we firstly performed a bioinformatics analysis of CDR1as among 868 cancer samples by using RNA-seq datasets of the MiOncoCirc database. Gene ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), CIBERSORT, Estimating the Proportion of Immune and Cancer cells (EPIC), and the MAlignant Tumors using Expression data (ESTIMATE) algorithm were applied to investigate the underlying functions and pathways. Functional enrichment analysis suggested that CDR1as has roles associated with angiogenesis, extracellular matrix (ECM) organization, integrin binding, and collagen binding. Moreover, pathway analysis indicated that it may regulate the TGF-β signaling pathway and ECM-receptor interaction. Therefore, we used CIBERSORT, EPIC, and the ESTIMATE algorithm to investigate the association between CDR1as expression and the tumor microenvironment. Our data strongly suggest that CDR1as may play a specific role in immune and stromal cell infiltration in tumor tissue, especially those of CD8+ T cells, activated NK cells, M2 macrophages, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and endothelial cells. Generally, systematic and comprehensive analyses of CDR1as were conducted to shed light on its underlying pro-cancerous mechanism. CDR1as regulates the TGF-β signaling pathway and ECM-receptor interaction to serve as a mediator in alteration of the tumor microenvironment.

scholarly journals The Regulatory Functions of Circular RNAs in Digestive System Cancers

Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Yuan ◽  
Ya Yuan ◽  
Zhi He ◽  
Diyan Li ◽  
Bo Zeng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Digestive System ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Rna Binding Proteins ◽  
Circular Rna ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Circular Rnas ◽  
Biological Functions ◽  
Ribonucleic Acids ◽  
Mirna Sponges ◽  
And Biological Markers

Circular ribonucleic acids (circRNAs), which are a type of covalently closed circular RNA, are receiving increasing attention. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that circRNAs are involved in the biogenesis and development of multiple diseases such as digestive system cancers. Dysregulated circRNAs have been found to act as oncogenes or tumour suppressors in digestive system cancers. Moreover, circRNAs are related to ageing and a wide variety of processes in tumour cells, such as cell apoptosis, invasion, migration, and proliferation. Moreover, circRNAs can perform a remarkable multitude of biological functions, such as regulating splicing or transcription, binding RNA-binding proteins to enable function, acting as microRNA (miRNA) sponges, and undergoing translated into proteins. However, in digestive system cancers, circRNAs function mainly as miRNA sponges. Herein, we summarise the latest research progress on biological functions of circRNAs in digestive system cancers. This review serves as a synopsis of potential therapeutic targets and biological markers for digestive system cancer.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document