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Review
. 2023 Nov 20;24(22):16547.
doi: 10.3390/ijms242216547.

Virus-Encoded Circular RNAs: Role and Significance in Viral Infections

Giuseppe Sberna  1 , Fabrizio Maggi  1 , Alessandra Amendola  1
Affiliations
Review

Virus-Encoded Circular RNAs: Role and Significance in Viral Infections

Giuseppe Sberna et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been the focus of intense scientific research to understand their biogenesis, mechanisms of action and regulatory functions. CircRNAs are single stranded, covalently closed RNA molecules lacking the 5'-terminal cap and the 3'-terminal polyadenine chain, characteristics that make them very stable and resistant. Synthesised by both cells and viruses, in the past circRNAs were considered to have no precise function. Today, increasing evidence shows that circRNAs are ubiquitous, some of them are tissue- and cell-specific, and critical in multiple regulatory processes (i.e., infections, inflammation, oncogenesis, gene expression). Moreover, circRNAs are emerging as important biomarkers of viral infection and disease progression. In this review, we provided an updated overview of current understanding of virus-encoded and cellular-encoded circRNAs and their involvement in cellular pathways during viral infection.

Keywords: biomarkers of infection; circRNA; circular RNA; non-coding RNA; viral infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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