M⁶A-dependent biogenesis of circular RNAs in male germ cells.

ABSTRACT: The majority of circular RNAs (circRNAs) spliced from coding genes contain open reading frames (ORFs) and thus, have protein coding potential. However, it remains unknown what regulates the biogenesis of these ORF-containing circRNAs, whether they are actually translated into proteins and what functions they play in specific physiological contexts. Here, we report that a large number of circRNAs are synthesized with increasing abundance when late pachytene spermatocytes develop into round and then elongating spermatids during murine spermatogenesis. For a subset of circRNAs, the back splicing appears to occur mostly at m⁶A-enriched sites, which are usually located around the start and stop codons in linear mRNAs. Consequently, approximately a half of these male germ cell circRNA

SUBMITTER: Tang C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7054367 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature