Circular RNA: non-coding RNA with emerging roles in stem cell differentiation

Several different types of non-coding RNA have been shown to contribute to the regulation of pluripotency and renewal of stem cells and thereby participate in embryogenesis and development (1-4). Amongst these, the evidence for microRNA and long non-coding RNA as key players is particularly compelling. Several different individual or clusters of microRNAs have the potential to modulate embryonic stem cell pluripotency and reprogramming.