环状RNA(Circular RNA, circRNA)是一类非线性，自身成环的RNA分子，最近研究发现它大量存在于人类细胞中。作为一类新的调控性非编码RNA，环状RNA在肿瘤中的存在情况，临床意义，功能和作用机制都还不清楚。本研究前期工作采用高通量RNA测序，结合生物信息分析，鉴定并筛选出肝癌组织中差异表达的环状RNA，发现肝癌组织中存在着不少具有一定丰度的差异表达环状RNA；进一步，通过特异siRNA对这些肝癌相关的环状RNA进行初步的功能筛选，发现有部分的环状RNA在肝癌细胞中具有一定的生物学功能。本项目将在前期工作基础上，进一步研究这些肝癌相关环状RNA的临床意义，以及它们在肝癌发生发展过程中所起的功能和作用机制，这些将为肝癌的发病机制提供新的思路，以及肝癌的诊疗提供新的候选靶点。

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a type of RNA that, unlike linear RNA, forms a covalently closed continuous loop.Recently, circRNAs are found to behighly abundant and conserved in human cells. They have been categorized as noncoding RNA with potential as gene regulators.However, the expression, function and mechanism of circRNAs in human cancer remain unknown. In this study, we have identified a set of circRNAs differently expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by using high-throughput RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analyses. Furthermore, functional assay screening by siRNA indicated that some of these HCC-related circRNAs have significant roles in liver cancer cells proliferation and migration. In this project, we will focus on the expression levels and clinical significance of HCC-related circRNAs in HCC as well as their function and molecular mechanism to provide new insights into genetic diagnosis and treatment of HCC in clinic.