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Current understanding of circular RNAs in preeclampsia

Hypertension Research (2024)Cite this article

Abstract

Preeclampsia (PE) is a multiple organ and system disease that seriously threatens the safety of the mother and infant during pregnancy, and has a profound impact on the morbidity and mortality of the mother and new babies. Presently, there are no remedies for cure of PE as to the mechanisms of PE are still unclear, and the only way to eliminate the symptoms is to deliver the placenta. Thus, new therapeutic targets for PE are urgently needed. Approximately 95% of human transcripts are thought to be non-coding RNAs, and the roles of them are to be increasingly recognized of great importance in various biological processes. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs, with no 5′ caps and 3′ polyadenylated tails, commonly produced by back-splicing of exons. The structure of circRNAs makes them more stable than their counterparts. Increasing evidence shows that circRNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of PE, but the biogenesis, functions, and mechanisms of circRNAs in PE are poorly understood. In the present review, we mainly summarize the biogenesis, functions, and possible mechanisms of circRNAs in the development and progression of PE, as well as opportunities and challenges in the treatment and prevention of PE.

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Acknowledgements

All authors have significantly contributed to and agree with the content of the manuscript.

Funding

This study was supported by National Key R&D Program of China (2019YFA0802600) and Jiangsu Provincial Medical Innovation Center (CXZX202231).

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Yajun Shi, Fangrong Shen

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Fetology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China

    Yajun Shi, Miao Sun & Pengjie Zhang

  2. Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China

    Fangrong Shen

  3. Department of Emergency Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China

    Xionghui Chen

  4. Institute of Trauma Medicine, Soochow University, Suzhou, China

    Xionghui Chen

  5. Jiangsu Provincial Medical Innovation Center of Trauma Medicine, Suzhou, China

    Xionghui Chen

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  1. Yajun Shi
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  4. Miao Sun
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Shi, Y., Shen, F., Chen, X. et al. Current understanding of circular RNAs in preeclampsia. Hypertens Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-024-01675-x

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