Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel class of widespread noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression in mammals. Recent studies demonstrate that functional peptides can be encoded by short open reading frames in noncoding RNAs, including circRNAs. However, the role of circRNAs in various physiological and pathological states, such as cancer, is not well understood. In this study, through deep RNA sequencing on human endometrial cancer (EC) samples and their paired adjacent normal tissues, we uncovered that the circRNA hsa-circ-0000437 is significantly reduced in EC compared with matched paracancerous tissue. The hsa-circ-0000437 contains a short open reading frame encoding a functional peptide termed CORO1C-47aa. Overexpression of CORO1C-47aa is capable of inhibiting angiogenesis at the initiation stage by suppressing endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation through competition with transcription factor TACC3 to bind to ARNT and suppress VEGF. CORO1C-47aa directly bound to ARNT through the PAS-B domain, and blocking the association between ARNT and TACC3, which led to reduced expression of VEGF, ultimately lead to reduced angiogenesis. The antitumor effects of CORO1C-47aa on EC progression suggest that CORO1C-47aa has potential value in anticarcinoma therapies and warrants further investigation.

Lineage-specific cell differentiation is a precise and coordinated biological process. To explore the roles of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in this process, the expression of polyA-minus RNAs was comparatively studied during the course of myocyte and adipocyte differentiation. In addition to identifying thousands of novel lncRNAs, distinct lncRNA profiles were revealed during lineage-specific differentiation, showing their active involvement in this process. This study further found that lncRNAs were organized in clusters and are co-regulated, constituting transcription open domains (TODs). In myocyte differentiation of C2C12 cells, loss-of-function screening identified three myogenic lncRNAs. Knockdown of their expression compromised not only the differentiation process, but also the essential signaling pathway. In addition to showing that lncRNAs are actively involved in cell differentiation, our results start to reveal a comprehensive signaling pathway, involving both protein and lncRNA factors.

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a special class of noncoding RNA molecules and the latest research hotspot in the field of RNA. CircRNA molecules have a closed loop structure, which is not affected by RNA exonuclease and has the characteristics of more stable expression. Previous studies have shown that circRNA molecules are rich in microRNA (miRNA) binding sites and act as miRNA sponges in cells. By interacting with miRNAs associated with tumors and other diseases, circRNAs play an important regulatory role. However, circRNAs have recently been found to have small open reading frames that enable them to encode peptides/proteins. These proteins have been reported to play an important role in the mechanism of regulation of a variety of diseases and have great potential in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. In this review, we summarize the mechanism of action of the newly discovered circRNA-coding proteins since 2022 and briefly describe their research process. In addition, we also discuss the prediction model of the functional sites and encoded proteins of circRNAs, which provides a potential idea for future research on circRNAs.

Aggressive angiomyxoma is an uncommon mesenchymal neoplasm characterized by a high recurrence rate, usually observed in the lower genital tract of women during their reproductive age. Seventeen cases of aggressive angiomyxoma confirmed by pathology from January 2007 to December 2021 in Beijing Chao-yang Hospital were included. We collected clinical data and summarized the clinical and immunohistochemical features. All seventeen included patients were females, aged between 23 and 57 years (mean, 37.7 years; median, 42 years). Fourteen patients were newly diagnosed and three were recurrent. The tumors were located in vulva (58.8 %), vagina (23.5 %), buttock (11.8 %), and cervix (5.9 %). The tumors size were 2 to 15 cm in greatest dimension (mean 8 ± 4.4 cm, median 6 cm). Follow-up data was available for nine patients, which ranged from 25 to 124 months (mean, 82 months; median, 80 months). At the end of follow-up, no other recurrence or metastasis was reported. Immunohistochemical analysis showed immunoreactive for estrogen (10/11) and progesterone (8/11) receptor, desmin (6/8), smooth muscle actin (4/10), and vimentin (4/4), S-100 (1/8) and CD34 (1/7). The Ki67 level was less than 5 % in five cases. AAM is a hormone-sensitive, distinct rare mesenchymal neoplasm with high incidence of local recurrence. Surgery is the preferred treatment, with complete resection being an essential prerequisite for minimizing the risk of recurrence.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics and surgical and histological outcomes of premenopausal and postmenopausal patients with adnexal torsion. Methods: The electronic medical records of 278 patients with adnexal torsion proven by surgery were retrospectively reviewed from January 2012 to November 2023 in our hospital. The patients were divided into two groups (premenopausal and postmenopausal). Results: The study included 226 (81.3%) premenopausal patients and 52 (18.7%) postmenopausal patients. The incidence of the most common symptoms (i.e., abdominal pain, nausea and/or vomiting) was not different between the two groups. However, the postmenopausal group had a longer interval from the onset of pain to admission, a larger size of adnexal mass, a longer operation time, more blood loss, and a longer hospital stay than the premenopausal group. Regarding the procedure, the premenopausal group underwent more conservative procedures than the postmenopausal group. The most common pathological findings in the two groups were benign tumors and tubal pathology The malignancy rate was similar in the two groups. Conclusions: Premenopausal and postmenopausal women with adnexal torsion had similar main symptoms, such as abdominal pain and nausea and vomiting. However, the surgical and histological outcomes varied between these groups of women.