Mechanisms of circular RNAs in cardiovascular cell differentiation (A07)

环状rna （circRNAs）是一类鲜为人知的非编码rna。在初步工作中，我们通过对诱导多能干细胞（iPSC）向平滑肌细胞（SMCs）分化过程中收集的RNA进行深度测序，发现了数百个差异表达的环状RNA。在这里，我们假设circrna可能在心血管细胞发育中很重要。为了验证这一点，我们将（1)系统地识别相关的circrna及其调节因子，(2)调节其表达以研究其对iPSC分化和心血管细胞功能的影响，以及3）在体内验证这些发现。拟议的项目将提高我们对circrna在心血管健康和疾病中的作用的理解。

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a poorly understood class of non-coding RNAs. In preliminary work, we found several hundred differentially expressed circRNAs by deep sequencing of RNA collected during induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) differentiation to smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Here, we hypothesise that circRNAs might be important in cardiovascular cell development. To test this, we will (1) systematically identify relevant circRNAs and their regulators, (2) modulate their expression to investigate their effect on iPSC differentiation and cardiovascular cell function, and 3) validate these findings in vivo. The proposed project will improve our understanding of the role of circRNAs in cardiovascular health and disease.