Circular RNA: closing the loop for miRNA translation to patients

MiRNAs (miRs) have been widely studied in all aspects of medicine. However, the method by which miR-mediated functions are negatively regulated remains an unresolved question. The identification of circular RNA (circRNA) has been shown to act as sponges for miRs (1). The paper by Zhang et al., shows circDYM serving as a sponge for miR-9 (2). The authors linked their findings to major depressive disorder (MDD) in experimental models with human samples. The findings with human samples were then validated with two animal models of depression, chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced.