Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a type of noncoding RNA (ncRNA) and have attracted widespread research attention in recent years. They form a covalently closed loop structure and are widely distributed in tissues and organs. CircRNAs have also been found to regulate a variety of biological processes by functioning as microRNA sponges, transcriptional regulators, and protein binding partners. Recent sequencing results have shown that specific circRNA expression patterns are significantly associated with adult stem cell self-renewal and differentiation, indicating that the differential expression of circRNA affects whether adult stem cells initiate the differentiation process. By studying circRNA expression during adult stem cell differentiation into different lineages, such as the osteogenic, chondrogenic, adipogenic, neurogenic, and cardiac lineages, it can be understood that circRNAs are a potential factor regulating adult stem cell differentiation. Herein, we summarize the general characteristics and functional mechanisms of circRNAs and further examine their roles in adult stem cell self-renewal and differentiation.

环状RNA（circRNA）是一种非编码RNA（ncRNA），近年来引起了广泛的研究关注。它们形成共价的闭环结构，并广泛分布在组织和器官中。还发现CircRNA通过充当microRNA海绵，转录调节因子和蛋白质结合伴侣来调节多种生物学过程。最近的测序结果表明，特定的circRNA表达模式与成年干细胞的自我更新和分化显着相关，这表明circRNA的差异表达影响成年干细胞是否启动分化过程。通过研究成年干细胞分化为不同谱系（例如成骨，成软骨，成脂，神经源和心脏谱系）期间circRNA的表达，可以理解，circRNA是调节成体干细胞分化的潜在因素。在这里，我们总结了circRNA的一般特征和功能机制，并进一步检查了它们在成体干细胞自我更新和分化中的作用。