Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a novel class of endogenous noncoding RNAs that play important roles in gene expression regulation. This study aimed to evaluate the potential role of circRNAs in decidual tissue of patients with early recurrent miscarriage (RM). We constructed circRNA expression profiles in decidual tissue using microarray data. A total of 123 differentially expressed circRNAs, including 78 upregulated and 45 downregulated circRNAs were detected in the early RM group compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis also revealed the enrichment of specific circRNAs. The verified circRNA-targeted miRNA-mRNA network was constructed, most of the circRNAs harbored miRNA binding sites. The network involved 3 circRNAs, 27 microRNAs and 82 mRNAs. Hsa_circRNA_103092- miR-224-PRLR network was selected to verify by qRT-PCR. These results showed that circRNAs are aberrantly expressed in the decidual tissue in early RM patients and play potential roles in the development of early RM. It gives new insights into the mechanism of recurrent miscarriage.