对动物保守环RNAs生理功能及功能机理的研究

近年来的研究表明环RNA具有重要调控功能。环RNA研究具有重要生物医学意义、同时还有许多未知需要进一步探索。环RNA研究的一个重要方向是其在动物中的生理功能；而目前急需关注的一个角度是对动物中保守环RNA生理功能及其机理的揭示。在此重点项目的资助下，我们将系统深入地了解动物中保守环RNA在秀丽线虫中的生理功能及功能机理，进而对其中部分重要保守环RNA在小鼠中的生理功能及机理进行深入研究。在这两种模式动物中的研究还将帮助发现与人类疾病健康具有重要相关性的保守环RNA。从保守分子着手进行研究，往往可以有助于推动对相应类型RNA功能和调控规律的认知。我们项目组在秀丽线虫和哺乳动物上对非编码RNA和环RNA有所研究，具有一定的基础和能力。我们希望在本重点项目进一步支持下、结合前期基础、深入研究保守环RNA的生理功能和机理，为阐明环RNA功能的重要性以及在调控生理活动中的相关规律做出贡献。

Recent years have witnessed the growing recognition of circular RNAs (circRNAs) as essential regulators of important life events. Studies on circRNAs are with great biological and medical values, and there are plenty of unknowns about circRNAs waiting for further investigations. One of the critical directions of circRNA study is their physiological functions, and more specifically, the physiological roles and functional mechanisms of circRNAs conserved in animals urge for more attention. Under the support of this grant, we will systematically carry on in- depth studies to evaluate physiological functions and the corresponding mechanisms of conserved circRNAs in C. elegans, then to investigate some key conserved circRNAs in mice for their roles and regulatory mechanisms in physiology of mice. Studies in the two model organisms would lead to the identification and further characterizations of conserved circRNAs potentially playing vital roles in major human diseases. Insights from conserved members can often greatly promote understandings of a whole RNA class about the functions and regulatory rules. Our laboratory has substantial expertise in noncoding RNA and circRNA study with both C. elegans and mammalian systems. We hope this grant would enable us to extensively examine the physiological importance of conserved circRNAs and the mechanisms underneath, and to contribute to the advancing of circRNA field.