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Circular RNA translation, a path to hidden proteome
Author(s) -
Sinha Tanvi,
Panigrahi Chirag,
Das Debojyoti,
Panda Amaresh
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: rna
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.225
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1757-7012
pISSN - 1757-7004
DOI - 10.1002/wrna.1685
Subject(s) - internal ribosome entry site , biology , circular rna , translation (biology) , rna , computational biology , non coding rna , microrna , proteome , riboswitch , rna binding protein , genetics , long non coding rna , microbiology and biotechnology , ribosome profiling , messenger rna , gene
Abstract Functional proteins in the cell are translated from the messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, constituting less than 5% of the cellular transcriptome. The majority of the RNA molecules in the cell are noncoding RNAs, including rRNA, tRNA, snRNA, piRNA, lncRNA, microRNA, and poorly characterized circular RNAs (circRNAs). Recent studies established that circRNAs regulate gene expression by associating with RNA‐binding proteins and microRNAs. With the growing understanding of circRNA functions, a subset of circRNAs has been reported to translate into proteins. Interestingly, the presence of Open Reading Frames (ORFs), N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) modifications, and internal ribosomal entry sites (IRES) in the circRNA sequences indicate their coding potential through the cap‐independent translation initiation mechanism. The purpose of this review is to highlight the mechanism of circRNA translation and the importance of circRNA‐encoded proteins (circ‐proteins) in cellular physiology and pathology. Here, we discuss the computational and molecular methods currently utilized to systematically identify translatable circRNAs and the functional characterization of the circ‐proteins. We foresee that the ongoing and future studies on circRNA translation will uncover the hidden proteome and their therapeutic implications in human health. This article is categorized under: RNA Methods > RNA Analyses in Cells Regulatory RNAs/RNAi/Riboswitches > Regulatory RNAs Translation > Mechanisms