Extrachromosomal Circular DNA (eccDNA): From Chaos to Function

Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) is a type of double-stranded circular DNA that is derived and free from chromosomes. It has a strong heterogeneity in sequence, length, and origin and has been identified in both normal and cancer cells. Although many studies suggested its potential roles in va...

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Published inFrontiers in cell and developmental biology Vol. 9; p. 792555
Main Authors Zuo, Shanru, Yi, Yihu, Wang, Chen, Li, Xueguang, Zhou, Mingqing, Peng, Qiyao, Zhou, Junhua, Yang, Yide, He, Quanyuan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 06.01.2022
Subjects
biogenesis
biomarker
cancer
Cell and Developmental Biology
circulome
eccDNA
eccDNA
biogenesis
cancer
biomarker
circulome
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Summary:Extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) is a type of double-stranded circular DNA that is derived and free from chromosomes. It has a strong heterogeneity in sequence, length, and origin and has been identified in both normal and cancer cells. Although many studies suggested its potential roles in various physiological and pathological procedures including aging, telomere and rDNA maintenance, drug resistance, and tumorigenesis, the functional relevance of eccDNA remains to be elucidated. Recently, due to technological advancements, accumulated evidence highlighted that eccDNA plays an important role in cancers by regulating the expression of oncogenes, chromosome accessibility, genome replication, immune response, and cellular communications. Here, we review the features, biogenesis, physiological functions, potential functions in cancer, and research methods of eccDNAs with a focus on some open problems in the field and provide a perspective on how eccDNAs evolve specific functions out of the chaos in cells.
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Kui Ming Chan, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Edited by: Yue Zhao, University of Cologne, Germany
Reviewed by: Richard Chahwan, University of Zurich, Switzerland
This article was submitted to Molecular and Cellular Oncology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology
ISSN:2296-634X
2296-634X
DOI:10.3389/fcell.2021.792555