Study finds link between circular RNAs and DNA mutations

Researchers from Flinders University, Australia cancer researchers have found that specific circular RNAs, which are single-stranded RNAs forming a covalently closed continuous loop, can stick to the DNA in our cells and cause mutations leading to cancer. They call their pathbreaking discovery ‘Endogenous RNA-Directed DNA Damage’ (ER3D) The gene fusions consequent to the action of circular RNAs have always guided physicians in arriving at treatment options but?until now, nothing was known as to how these mutations arose in patients.?

When the team compared the neonatal blood tests of babies who developed acute leukemia in infancy with children without any blood disorders, one specific circular RNA was found present at much higher levels at birth, prior to onset of leukemia symptoms. This led to the conclusion that abundance of circular RNA molecules within cells of certain individuals could explain why they develop oncogenes while others do not. The researchers are now investigating the role of circular RNAs in other cancers and diseases.

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