Differential Expression Profiles and Functional Prediction of Circular RNAs in Pediatric Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as essential regulators and biomarkers in various diseases. To assess the different expression levels of circRNAs in pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy (PDCM) and explore their biological and mechanistic significance, we used RNA microarrays to identify differentially expressed circRNAs between three children diagnosed with PDCM and three healthy age-matched volunteers. The biological function of circRNAs was assessed with a circRNA–microRNA (miRNA)–mRNA interaction network constructed from Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. Differentially expressed circRNAs were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qR…