Characterization and Validation of Circular RNA and Their Host Gene mRNA Expression Using PCR

Methods Mol Biol. 2018:1724:57-67. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7562-4_5.

Abstract

Polymerase chain reaction enables the detection and characterization of circular RNA expression. The use of divergent primer pairs flanking the back-splice site, being the unique sequence element of a circular RNA, enables the detection of circular RNA expression. Here we describe the basic techniques to detect different circular transcripts of a gene or one circular RNA specifically by PCR and highlight the advantages and drawbacks of both.

Keywords: Back-splice site; CircRNA; Circular RNA; Divergent primer; Polymerase chain reaction.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Binding Sites
  • Computational Biology / methods*
  • Gene Expression Regulation*
  • Humans
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • RNA / genetics*
  • RNA Splicing
  • RNA, Circular
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics*
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA / methods*

Substances

  • RNA, Circular
  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA