Circular RNA Formation and Degradation Are Not Directed by Universal Pathways.

ABSTRACT: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of unique transcripts characterized by a covalently closed loop structure, which differentiates them from conventional linear RNAs. The formation of circRNAs occurs co-transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally through a distinct type of splicing known as back-splicing, which involves the formation of a head-to-tail splice junction between a 5' splice donor and an upstream 3' splice acceptor. This process, along with exon skipping, intron retention, cryptic splice site utilization, and lariat-driven intron processing, results in the generation of three main types of circRNAs (exonic, intronic, and exonic-intronic) and their isoforms. The intricate biogenesis of circRNAs is regulated by the interplay of cis-regulatory elements and trans-a

SUBMITTER: Srinivasan A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11766002 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature