关键词: circRNA, 非编码RNA, 作用机制, 生物学功能

Abstract: Circular RNAs are a class of single-stranded non-coding RNA characterized by the presence of a covalent bond linking the 3′ and 5′ ends generated by backsplicing. Widespread circRNAs were found to be expressed in various organisms. CircRNAs feature stable structure and often show cell-，tissue-，or developmental-stage-specific expression. Some researches showed that circRNAs have been postulated to function as miRNA sponges，to enhance transcription of their host genes，also function as protein decoys and participate in the regulation of pathway. Dramatically increased investigations suggest circRNAs potentially regulate a wide range of biological progresses related to biotic/abiotic responses and plant development. Here，we summarize the features of circRNAs in plant，and their regulatory roles achieved so far. In addition，possible functional mechanism of plant circRNAs is inspired by animals，and the challenges and questions in the research area of plant circRNAs are discussed.

Key words: circRNA, non-coding RNA, action mechanism, biology function