Long Noncoding RNAs at the Crossroads of Cell Cycle and Genome Biology Diagrams Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a type of non‐coding RNA, are single‐stranded circularized molecules characterized by high abundance, evolutionary conservation and cell development‐ and tissue‐specific expression. The functions and mechanisms of circRNAs in cell cycle regulation are largely focused on the G 1/ S phase transition and Holdt, L. M. et al. Alu elements in ANRIL non-coding RNA at chromosome 9p21 modulate atherogenic cell functions through trans-regulation of gene networks. PLoS Genet. 9 , e1003588 (2013).

Gene regulation by long non-coding RNAs and its biological functions there have been ~50,000 publications with 'long non-coding RNA' as a key term and more than 2,000 cell cycle and circRNAs are single-stranded, highly stable, covalently closed RNA molecules that regulate gene expression either by acting as miRNAs sponges or by affecting mRNA and protein stability. 105 Many genes specific to the cell cycle are post-transcriptionally regulated by circRNAs, and disruption of this regulation can lead to cancer by accelerating

Circular RNAs in cell cycle regulation: Mechanisms to clinical ... Biology Diagrams
The mammalian cell cycle is precisely controlled by cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and related pathways such as the RB and p53 pathways. Recent research on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) indicates that many lncRNAs are involved in the regulation of critical cell cycle regulators such as the cyclins, CDKs, CDK inhibitors, pRB, and p53. MINCR exerted inhibitory effects on the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of NSCLC cells by activating c-Myc and its downstream effectors, suggesting that this lncRNA could be used as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of NSCLC. Roles of MYC-targeting long non-coding RNA MINCR in cell cycle regulation and apoptosis in non-small LncRNAs also participate in regulating alternative splicing, cell differentiation, and cell cycle regulation, and they are involved in regulating the occurrence of many diseases [12,13,14,15]. Dykes I.M., Emanueli C. Transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation by long non-coding RNA. Genom. Proteom.

These results indicate that lncRNAs that have cell-cycle-specific expression are candidates for regulation of cell-cycle progression and that they have distinct functions. There are a large number of these RNAs, each expressed at a specific time in the S-phase, which might facilitate the maintenance of gene expression programs in human cells.
