Two groups have identified a stable circular RNA that acts as a molecular sponge for microRNAs. The RNA is highly expressed in the human and mouse brain and contains ~70 sites for miR-7 binding, thus sequestering the miRNA away from its targets. The circular RNA was also shown to bind Argonaute proteins, which are a part of the RNA-induced silencing complex. The binding of miR-7 prevents translation of the circular RNA, suggesting that its sole function is the titration of small regulatory RNAs. Bioinformatic analysis revealed numerous other circular RNAs, suggesting this could be a widespread mechanism of gene regulation.
References
Memczak, S. et al. Circular RNAs are a large class of animal RNAs with regulatory potency. Nature 27 Feb 2013 (10.1038/nature11928)
Hansen, T. B. et al. Natural RNA circles function as efficient microRNA sponges. Nature 27 Feb 2013 (10.1038/nature11993)
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Stower, H. Circular sponges. Nat Rev Genet 14, 238 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3464
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3464
