Advances in Research Progress on the Biogenesis and Mechanism of Circular RNA in Plants

Abstract

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a class of endogenous non-coding RNA which is widely existed in organisms. It is a closed RNA molecule formed by back splicing. CircRNAs have highly structural stability, sequence conservation and tissue specificity. A large number of circRNAs have been identified for the rapid development of high-throughput sequencing and other technologies in plants, which becomes a new field of non-coding RNA research. CircRNA functions acting as microRNA sponge, in regulating gene expression and splicing of transcripts. More and more research results reveal that circRNAs play an important role in organism development and resistance to the external environment. However, at present, we know very little about the biogenesis, function and molecular mechanism of circRNAs in plants, especially the regulation of back splicing of circRNAs. In this review, we summarize the advances in research progress of plant circRNAs, mainly focusing on the alternative splicing of circRNAs and their functions in flowering transition and stress responses. This review will provide an extended understanding of the regulation of biogenesis and molecular mechanism of circRNAs in plants.