In Vitro Self-Circularization Methods Based on Self-Splicing Ribozyme

Abstract

In vitro circular RNA (circRNA) preparation methods have been gaining a lot of attention recently as several reports suggest that circRNAs are more stable, with better performances in cells and in vivo, than linear RNAs in various biomedical applications. Self-splicing ribozymes are considered a major in vitro circRNA generation method for biomedical applications due to their simplicity and efficiency in the circularization of the gene of interest. This review summarizes, updates, and discusses the recently developed self-circularization methods based on the self-splicing ribozyme, such as group I and II intron ribozymes, and the pros and cons of each method in preparing circRNA in vitro.