Identification and functional analysis of circular RNAs induced in rats by middle cerebral artery occlusion

Abstract CircRNAs (Circular RNAs) are believed to be involved in a multitude of biological processes and can play crucial roles as miRNA (microRNA) sponges. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between circRNAs and ischemic stroke induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats. The expression profiles of circRNAs in brain tissues were screened by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to identify novel differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs). Quantitative real-time (qRT)-PCR was used to confirm circRNA expression data arising from HTS. In addition, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed to investigate mRNA function and to understand the characteristics of circRNAs. Finally, we created a circRNA-miRNA network. In total, 14,694 DECs, from 6 brain tissues, were screened; of these, 87 DECs showed a significant fold change >2 (p