Circular RNAs in Bacteria

Generated with sparks and insights from 10 sources

Introduction

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been identified in bacteria, specifically from autocatalytic Group I and II introns, which are self-cleaving ribozymes.
A predicted circular tmRNA in bacteria has been supported by bioinformatic analysis.
Observations of circRNAs in bacterial RNA-seq data have been reported for species such as Enterococcus faecalis and Escherichia coli.
CircRNAs in bacteria are less studied compared to those in eukaryotes, but they are believed to play roles in RNA regulation and stability.

Gene Regulation: CircRNAs can act as microRNA (miRNA) sponges, regulating gene expression by sequestering miRNAs.
Protein Coding: Some circRNAs have been found to code for proteins, although this is more common in eukaryotes.
RNA stability: The closed-loop structure of circRNAs makes them more resistant to exonuclease-mediated degradation.
Disease Association: In humans, circRNAs have been linked to various diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
Immune Response: CircRNAs in extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been implicated in immune responses, particularly in lung inflammation.

RNA-seq: High-throughput RNA sequencing is commonly used to identify and quantify circRNAs.
RT-qPCR: Real-time quantitative PCR with specific primers targeting the back-splice junction (BSJ) region is used for validation.
Microarrays: CircRNA-specific microarrays can profile circRNA expression in various samples.
Bioinformatics: Computational tools are used to predict and analyze circRNAs from RNA-seq data.
Northern Blotting: This technique can be used to detect circRNAs, although it is less common due to its lower sensitivity.

Enterococcus faecalis: Observations of circRNAs have been reported in RNA-seq data from this species.
Escherichia coli: Similar observations have been made in E. coli, indicating the presence of circRNAs.
Group I and II Introns: These autocatalytic introns are a source of circRNAs in bacteria.
Circular tmRNA: Predicted in bacteria through bioinformatic analysis, though not experimentally confirmed.
Limited Studies: Research on bacterial circRNAs is still in its early stages compared to eukaryotic circRNAs.

Structure: Both bacterial and eukaryotic circRNAs have a closed-loop structure, making them resistant to degradation.
Function: Eukaryotic circRNAs are more studied and are known to play roles in gene regulation, protein coding, and disease association.
Abundance: CircRNAs are more abundant and diverse in eukaryotes compared to bacteria.
Detection: Advanced techniques like RNA-seq and bioinformatics are used in both domains, but eukaryotic circRNAs have more established detection methods.
Research Focus: Eukaryotic circRNAs are extensively studied for their roles in diseases, while bacterial circRNAs are still being explored for their basic functions.

Biomarkers: CircRNAs could serve as biomarkers for various diseases due to their stability and abundance.
Therapeutic Targets: Targeting circRNAs might offer new therapeutic approaches for diseases like cancer and cardiovascular conditions.
Gene Regulation: Understanding circRNA functions could lead to new insights into gene regulation mechanisms.
Diagnostics: CircRNAs in extracellular vesicles (EVs) could be used for non-invasive diagnostic tests.
Research Tools: CircRNAs can be engineered for use in synthetic biology and gene editing applications.