Tip of the Iceberg: Roles of CircRNAs in Cancer Glycolysis

Abstract

Tan Li,1 Hong-chun Xian,2 Li Dai,1 Ya-ling Tang,2 Xin-hua Liang1 1State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China; 2State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Oral Pathology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Ya-ling Tang Tel [phone]Fax [phone]Email [email protected] Liang Tel [phone]Fax [phone]Email [email protected]: Warburg effect reflects that tumor cells tend to generate energy by aerobic glycolysis rather than oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), thus promoting the development of malignant tumors. As a kind of non-coding RNA, circular RNA (circRNA) is characterized by a closed ring structure and emerges as a regulator of cancer metabolism. Mounting studies revealed that circRNA can regulate the cancer metabolism process through affecting the expression of glycolysis relevant enzymes, transcription factors (TFs), and signaling pathways. In this review, we comprehensively analyzed and concluded the mechanism of circRNA regulating glycolysis, hoping to deepen the cognition of the cancer metabolic regulatory network and to reap huge fruits in targeted cancer treatment.Keywords: cancer, circRNAs, Warburg effect, glucose metabolism

Keywords

• cancer
• circrnas
• warburg effect
• glucose metabolism