Functions of Circular RNAs Involved in Animal Skeletal Muscle Development – A Review

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been identified in the skeletal muscle of numerous species of animals. Their abundance, diversity, and their dynamic expression patterns have been revealed in various developmental stages and physiological conditions in skeletal muscles. Recently, studies have made known that circRNAs widely participate in muscle cell proliferation and differentiation. They are also involved in other life processes such as functioning as microRNA (miRNA) sponges, regulators of splicing and transcription, and modifiers of parental gene expression with emerging pieces of evidence indicating a high chance of playing a vital role in several cells and tissues, especially the muscles. Other research has emphatically stated that the growth and development of skeletal muscle are regulated by proteins as well as non-coding RNAs, which involve circRNAs. Therefore, circRNAs have been considered significant biological regulators for understanding the molecular mechanisms of myoblasts. Here, we discuss how circRNAs are abundantly expressed in muscle (myoblast) and their critical roles in growth and development.