review · Cells
Circular RNAs, or circRNAs, act as vital regulators in both healthy biological functions and diseases, including hepatocellular carcinoma, a major form of liver cancer. Depending on the context, these molecules can function either as tumour suppressors or as oncogenes. They influence hepatocellular carcinoma across all critical stages, shaping tumour initiation, development, progression, tissue invasion, metastasis, and the response to medical treatment. By evaluating published evidence alongside computational searches and bioinformatics analysis, the underlying mechanisms of circRNA biogenesis and gene regulation are clarified, including how circRNAs interact with proteins and messenger RNAs in ternary complexes. The findings explore how circRNAs interact with epigenetic mechanisms to drive cancer pathology, establishing a conceptual basis for examining these non-coding RNAs as potential targets and diagnostic markers for precision oncology.
Liver cancer remains difficult to manage, often evading conventional therapies. Clarifying how circular RNAs control cellular processes and influence tumour behaviour opens up new routes for precision medicine. By identifying how these molecules contribute to cancer progression and treatment resistance, researchers can pinpoint novel targets for diagnosis, prognosis, and tailored therapies.
The work positions circular RNAs as candidate theranostic agents, combining diagnostic and therapeutic utility for liver cancer management. Potential future users include diagnostic developers and oncology drug discovery teams seeking non-coding RNA targets. However, as this study relies on literature synthesis, in silico modelling, and bioinformatics analyses, the research sits at an early conceptual stage, requiring extensive laboratory validation and clinical trials before practical deployment.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are cardinal players in numerous physiological and pathological processes. CircRNAs play dual roles as tumor suppressors and oncogenes in different oncological contexts, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Their roles significantly impact the disease at all stages, including initiation, development, progression, invasion, and metastasis, in addition to the response to treatment. In this review, we discuss the biogenesis and regulatory functional roles of circRNAs, as well as circRNA-protein-mRNA ternary complex formation, elucidating the intricate pathways tuned by circRNAs to modulate gene expression and cellular processes through a comprehensive literature search, in silico search, and bioinformatics analysis. With a particular focus on the interplay between circRNAs, epigenetics, and HCC pathology, the article sets the stage for further exploration of circRNAs as novel investigational theranostic agents in the dynamic realm of HCC.
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DOI: 10.3390/cells13151245
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