Identification and functional analysis of circRIPK2 in lipopolysaccharide induced chicken macrophages.

1. It was hypothesised that a circular RIPK2 () highly expressed in chicken macrophages plays an important role during bacterial infection.2. After PCR amplification, Sanger sequencing and RNase R exonuclease treatment of chicken macrophages, it was found that was a stable circular RNA, which was formed by reverse splicing of exons 4 to 9 of the .3. The circRIPK2 can promote the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced cellular injury by reducing cell viability and increasing the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and apoptosis genes.4. Six miRNAs were identified as interacting with , potentially targeting 1,817 genes, which were significantly enriched in the Wnt signalling pathway, adherens junction and NOD-like receptor signalling pathway.5. This study provides better understanding of the function of , which may prove a potential biomarker and indicate potential targets for the treatment of bacterial infection.