Page 16 - IBRO_RNA School_Abstract Book

Role of circular RNAs in pancreatic β-cell physiology

Amaresh Panda

Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

Diabetes is characterized by increased blood glucose levels due to
β-cells
synthesize and secrete insulin to maintain glucose homeostasis in the body.
regulation

of gene expression at transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Recently,
another class of ncRNAs, called circular RNAs (circRNAs) have
emerged as critical regulators of gene expression. Unlike linear RNAs,
circRNA detection requires detecting the backsplice junction sequence
of circRNAs using RNA-seq or microarray or RT-PCR. Here, we aim to
identify circRNAs expressed in the pancreatic islets of a mouse
physiology Here,
we used published RNA-seq data of the mouse pancreatic islets with
type 2 diabetes to identify the expression pattern of circRNAs. This
identi o m t
circRNAs in pancreatic islets. The expression of several circRNAs was altered

in the islets of mice fed a high-fat diet compared to those fed a normal diet.
Interestingly, several circRNAs were found to be derived from the
preproinsulin 2 (Ins2) gene. Furthermore, we validated the expression of ci-Ins2 and
other circRNAs in mouse pancreatic islets and βTC6 cells. The computational
analysis suggested that these circRNAs might sponge several microRNAs, regulating
crucial genes involved in various biological processes.
T ogether,

gene physiology a u t a
signifi o t c i i p a s

po-
tential to identify the critical modulators of β-cell failure and could pave the way for
novel therapeutic strategies in diabetes.