Figure 5.

Projected mechanism of circRNAs upregulation in DM1. Global aberrations of alternative splicing are prominent features of DM1 pathogenesis. The functional depletion of MBNL proteins and changes in other proteins including splicing factors (e.g., phosphorylation of CUGBP1, P-CUGBP1) are found in DM1. Altogether, these factors may contribute to circRNAs biogenesis triggering a misbalance in the processing of pre-mRNAs into mRNAs and circRNAs. This misbalance is indicated by the size of black arrows, and by the red arrows indicating the shift toward circRNA biogenesis. The “T” bar indicate aberration/delay in mRNA formation.