Advances in the roles and molecular mechanisms of exosomal circular RNAs in regulating the pre-metastatic niche of tumors.

ABSTRACT: Metastasis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with malignant tumors. The pre-metastatic niche is a prerequisite for distant metastasis driven by primary tumors. Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a class of single-stranded closed non-coding RNAs, exhibit high stability, evolutionary conservation, and cell-type specificity. Exosomes, as natural carriers of circRNAs, mediate intercellular communication and contribute to the formation of the pre-metastatic niche; however, the mechanisms by which they do so remain incompletely understood. This review summarizes the biological characteristics and functions of exosomal circRNAs and outlines the molecular pathways through which they shape the tumor pre-metastatic microenvironment, with emphasis on immunosuppression, vascular perm

SUBMITTER: Xu W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12009264 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature