Circular RNAs open a new chapter in cardiovascular biology

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are emerging as a new class of non-coding RNA molecules. This unusual class of RNA species is generated by a back-splicing event of one or two exons, resulting in a covalently closed circRNA molecule. Owing to their circular form, circRNAs are protected from degradation by exonucleases and have greater stability than linear RNA. Advances in computational analysis of RNA sequencing have revealed that thousands of different circRNAs are expressed in a wide range of mammalian tissues, including the cardiovascular system. Moreover, numerous circRNAs are expressed in a disease-specific manner. A great deal of progress has been made in understanding the biogenesis and function of these circRNAs. In this Review, we discuss the current understanding of circRNA biogenesis and function, with a particular emphasis on the cardiovascular system.