丹参miR408基因前体序列的克隆及表达分析

MiR408是植物中一类高度保守的miRNA,其靶基因编码含铜蛋白,miR408的表达受植物生长发育和环境条件的显著影响。拟南芥中miR408在HY5-SPL7基因网络中起着关键作用,而HY5-SPL7基因网络可介导拟南芥对光照和铜离子的协调应答,进一步表明miR408在植物对环境的响应中发挥了核心作用。本研究基于丹参基因组Survey数据库,从中搜索并克隆得到366 bp的含有稳定茎环结构的miR408前体序列及其上游723 bp片段的启动子区,Gen Bank登录号分别为KU360384和KU360385,并将miR408的前体序列命名为SmMIR408。生物信息学分析结果显示:Sm-MIR408上游启动子序列与模式植物拟南芥Ath-MIR408、水稻OsaMIR408启动子区具有许多相同的顺式作用元件,如G-box、CGTCA-motif、TGACG-motif、GTAC-motif等,而HSE、CATT-motif作用元件仅存在于丹参启动子区;miR408成熟序列在不同物种中具有很高的保守性;基于不同物种miR408前体序列构建的系统进化树显示,来源于单子叶植物的miR408前体序列聚为一支,来源于双子叶植物的miR408前体序列聚为另一支。实时定量PCR分析结果显示:Sm-MIR408在丹参的根、茎、叶、花中都有表达,其在花中的表达量最高,根中最低;Sm-MIR408的表达受茉莉酸甲酯和伤害的抑制,黑暗和持续光照也可抑制该基因的表达。Sm-MIR408基因的克隆与表达分析为今后研究丹参miR408的功能奠定了基础。     

月季‘绿萼’花器官发育相关microRNA的鉴定及分析

利用高通量测序技术,构建了中国古老月季‘绿萼’(Rosa chinensis ‘Viridiflora’)和‘月月粉’(R.chinensis‘Old Blush’)花蕾期的microRNA(miRNA)文库,并对其进行了测序和序列分析。结果显示,在‘绿萼’文库中,鉴定到已知的miRNA成熟体39个,miRNA前体42个;预测到新的miRNA成熟体56个,前体57个。在‘月月粉’文库中,鉴定到已知RNA成熟体39个,已知miRNA前体40个;预测到新的miRNA成熟体53个,前体57个。与‘月月粉’相比,‘绿萼’中差异表达的miRNA有31个,其中17个上调、14个下调。荧光定量PCR实验结果表明,miR156、miR398和miR535在2种月季的花蕾期表达上调,而miR167、miR172和miR396表达下调。进一步检测miR172和miR156在2种月季不同花器官中的表达差异,发现miR172在‘绿萼’的花瓣、雌、雄蕊中表达显著下调,提示miR172可能通过负调控其靶基因RcAP2的表达,在‘绿萼’花器官发育过程中起重要作用。     

毛竹miR164b前体的克隆及其在叶形态建成中的功能分析

microRNA（miRNA）参与植物多种生理代谢过程,在调控植物形态建成中发挥着重要作用。miR164作为植物特有的miRNA,其主要的靶基因是NAC转录因子,参与调控植物茎、叶顶端分生组织的建立、器官的分化和植株衰老等过程。本研究以毛竹（Phyllostachys edulis（Carr.） Lehaie）为材料,从中分离出miR164b的前体序列（82 bp）,二级结构分析结果发现该前体序列能够形成稳定的茎环结构,其成熟序列（21 bp）产生于茎环结构5'端的臂上,且碱基具有较高的保守性。本研究还构建了由CaMV 35S启动,包含毛竹miR164b前体序列的植物表达载体,并转化野生型拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana（L.） Heynh）,获得了转基因植株。结果表明,转基因植株生长瘦弱,莲座叶数量明显减少,叶片变小且叶片边缘锯齿减少,更加光滑。实时定量PCR分析结果显示,转基因拟南芥中毛竹miR164b的表达量极显著上升,而拟南芥内源靶基因CUC1与CUC2的表达量极显著下降。表明毛竹miR164b通过调节CUC1和CUC2的表达来参与植物叶形态建成过程。研究结果可为利用miRNA开展竹子分子育种提供参考。     

甜杨低温响应microRNAs的克隆与分析

MicroRNAs (miRNAs)作为一类21碱基左右的非编码小RNAs,参与植物生长发育的调控,并在植物对生物与非生物胁迫的应答过程中发挥重要作用.本研究依据miRNA高度保守特点,利用已公布的毛果杨(Populus trichocarpa)基因组序列设计引物,从甜杨(Populus suaveolens)基因组中克隆获得了12个miRNA基因座序列.序列比对结果表明,这些miRNA基因均为毛果杨低温响应miRNA基因的同源序列.同时,以低温(0℃)处理0～48 h的甜杨幼苗为试材,通过半定量RT-PCR法对miRNA基因的成熟体序列在不同处理时间下的表达谱进行分析,结果显示,大多数miRNA成熟体序列在甜杨低温胁迫下的表达模式与其在毛果杨中的表达极为相似,由此可推测这些保守性miRNAs可能在甜杨和毛果杨两物种对低温胁迫的应答反应中发挥相似的功能,而miR168a、miR168b和miR475a在两物种间表达现象的差异,表明它们可能通过调控多种靶基因而发挥不同作用.本文结果将为进一步研究甜杨基因功能提供基础.     

文心兰25条miRNA前体序列特性及其表达分析

为了解文心兰miRNA的序列特性及其在不同组织部位中以及软腐病侵染过程中的表达规律,该研究对文心兰转录组及miRNA数据库中的25条miRNA前体(pre miRNA)序列和15条成熟体序列进行序列特性分析,并对25条pre miRNAs在文心兰不同组织部位及软腐病侵染的假鳞茎中的表达情况进行实时荧光定量分析。结果显示：（1）文心兰25条pre miRNAs序列可分为13个家族,其中包含15条成熟体序列。（2）Mfold二级结构预测显示,文心兰25条pre miRNAs的最小折叠自由能在-32.04~ -120.98 kal/mol之间,均可以形成典型、稳定的发夹结构。（3）序列比对分析发现,同一家族的前体与成熟体存在一个约20个碱基长度的保守区域,推测该区域可能为文心兰miRNA成熟体所在区域。其中,13个前体家族中,有10个家族的成熟体可以完全定位于其前体中。（4）实时荧光定量PCR结果显示,在文心兰不同组织部位中,miR159 unigene0037857、miR167 unigene0011236、miR167 unigene0002619、miR169 unigene0022341、miR172 unigene006514、miR396 unigene19032、miR398 unigene0009996、miR2950 unigene0006151、miR2950 unigene0006422等pre miRNAs在叶片中大量累积可能有利于其叶的形态建成;miR162 unigene0003615、miR162 unigene0013441、miR166 unigene0011870、miR168 unigene0009958等pre miRNAs同时在根和叶中均大量表达有利于其根和叶的发育;而miR171 unigene0045985、miR396 unigene0011179、miR396 unigene0011180在根和茎中的大量表达可能有利于其根和茎的发育。（5）在软腐病病菌侵染文心兰假鳞茎的过程中,miR159 unigene0037857、miR167 unigene0011236、miR396 unigene0011179、miR396 unigene0011180、miR396 unigene0019032、miR845 unigene0012489的表达总体呈下降趋势;miR162 unigene0040566、miR166 unigene0011870、miR168 unigene0009958、miR171 unigene0045985在软腐病菌液侵染4 h其表达量升高,之后表达量下调;miR162 unigene0003615、miR167 unigene0002619、miR168 unigene0047942、miR169 unigene0022341、miR845 unigene0012489在菌液侵染过程中其表达量呈现先下降后上升的趋势,并在侵染8 h后表达量达到最低。研究表明,文心兰pre miRNAs 13个家族不同成员在进化进程中具有高度保守性与特异性的结构特点,并可能广泛参与文心兰不同组织的生长发育及参与软腐病菌侵染的响应。     

龙眼miR396分子进化特性及响应蓝光的表达分析

关于蓝光对龙眼胚性愈伤组织miRNA组学研究中发现大量响应蓝光的miRNAs,挑选关键且差异表达的miR396a-3p_2和miR396b-5p进行分子进化特性分析,以进一步明确它们在龙眼响应蓝光过程中的作用。该研究对前体和成熟体进化树、前体二级结构、启动子顺式作用元件、靶基因预测及其响应蓝光表达模式等进行分析。结果表明:(1)由5p臂上形成的miR396成熟体序列保守性较高,由3p臂上形成的miR396成熟体序列特异性较大;茎序列的保守性高于环序列,5p臂上保守性高于3p臂。(2)miR396a-3p_2和miR396b-5p的启动子主要包括光、激素、生物和非生物胁迫响应元件,可能通过这些顺式元件在龙眼响应蓝光中起调控作用;其响应蓝光的靶基因或蛋白主要包括生长素调控因子(GRF2)、LRR类受体丝氨酸(FLS2)、乙烯不敏感蛋白(EIN3)和DNA定向RNA聚合酶α亚基(rpoA)等。(3)实时荧光定量PCR结果表明,miR396a-3p_2和miR396b-5p在不同光质的表达模式存在差异;在不同光强的蓝光条件下,miR396b-5p与其靶基因的表达趋势基本呈负相关,而miR396a-3p_2与rpoA的表达趋势未呈负相关,可能存在其他miR396家族成员或miRNAs同时调控,从而实现靶基因转录水平的调控。     

毛竹miR398和miR408的克隆及其表达分析

为了解毛竹(Phyllostachys edulis)中miR398和miR408的表达情况,从毛竹叶片中分离了二者的前体序列,并用实时定量PCR技术对其表达模式进行了研究。结果表明,毛竹中miR398和miR408前体序列ped-MIR398和ped-MIR408长度分别为83 bp和92 bp,二者均能形成稳定的茎环结构,其中成熟miRNA序列(ped-miR398和ped-miR408)均位于5′端臂上。ped-miR398和ped-miR408均为组成型表达,在毛竹叶中表达量最高。强光、蔗糖和GA3处理后,叶片中ped-miR398与pedmiR408的表达量均上调;CuSO_4和ABA处理后,叶片中二者的表达量均下调;黑暗、NaCl和4℃处理后,前者表达量上调,后者表达量下调。因此,ped-miR398与ped-miR408在毛竹适应逆境胁迫过程中可能发挥着不同的调控作用。     

油棕（Elaeis guineensis）中果皮发育过程中miRNA的表达动态分析

以CTAB法提取油棕（Elaeis guineensis）中果皮5个不同发育时期（G1～G5）的小RNA。从前期研究获得的油棕小RNA测序数据库中筛选12个候选miRNA,实时荧光定量PCR法（qRT-PCR）检测其在果实发育过程中的表达量变化,并进一步对显著差异表达的miRNA进行靶基因预测。结果表明：中果皮5个不同发育时期小RNA的OD260/OD280比值在1.7～2.0之间;浓度分别是289、364、476、213、390 ng/μL;qRT-PCR检测结果显示,12个候选miRNA在5个发育时期均显著性差异表达,特别是在中果皮发育第4个时期（G4）和第5个时期（G5）表达量极显著增高,其中miR395和miR156在第4个时期表达量最高;miR395和miR528在发育第5时期表达量最高;靶基因预测结果显示差异表达的部分miRNA,其靶基因可能参与了脂肪酸代谢通路,如磷脂酸磷酸脂酶和磷脂酶D。本研究筛选的与脂肪酸代谢相关的miRNA为今后油棕脂肪酸代谢调控通路研究提供了可能的线索。     

日本七鳃鳗物种特异性microRNAs及其前体的识别与验证

MicroRNAs(miRNAs)对参与多种生物代谢过程的基因在转录及转录后水平进行负调控。近年来,随着深度测序及芯片技术的应用,有关miRNA的发现和功能分析在植物和动物中得到广泛研究。文章利用第二代测序技术对日本七鳃鳗(Lampetra japonica)白细胞的小RNA进行了高通量测序,共得到5 207 787条小RNA序列,其中4 739 346条序列可以拼接为10 989种mi RNA变体。基于序列相似性分析,发现这10 989个变体序列与306个已知的保守mi RNA家族成员序列相匹配;其中,6个保守miRNA家族成员呈极高丰度表达,表明mi RNA在物种间具有保守性。70个未注释序列被预测为新的miRNA。通过miRNA微阵列技术鉴定与验证了34个新预测的mi RNA在免疫处理的日本七鳃鳗白细胞中表达,其中16个mi RNA前体的最低折叠自由能系数大于0.85,说明日本七鳃鳗存在特异性miRNA。这些物种特异性miRNAs的存在可能在日本七鳃鳗的白细胞生长、发育和对疾病的反应中发挥重要的调控作用。     

miRNA 的生物合成过程

MicroRNA (miRNA) 是一类真核生物内源性的小分子单链 RNA ,通常为 18 ～ 25 nt 长,能够通过与靶 mRNA 特异性的碱基配对引起靶 mRNA 的降解或者抑制其翻译,从而对基因进行转录后的表达调控 . 近几年来,在动物细胞和植物组织中,上百种 miRNA 被陆续发现 . 这些小分子调控 RNA 是从 60 ～ 200 nt 的具有发夹状结构的前体中被切割出来而成熟的,在动物细胞中, miRNA 基因的转录初产物 (pri-miRMA) 很快被一种核糖核酸酶Ⅲ Drosha 加工成为 miRNA 前体 (pre-miRNA) ,然后由细胞核转运至细胞质中,经另一种核糖核酸酶Ⅲ Dicer 识别剪切为成熟 miRNA. 对这一过程进行了简要的综述,并且对植物 miRNA 的成熟过程也进行了探讨 . 对 miRNA 的生物合成过程的深入了解,将有助于研究这一类起重要调控作用的 RNA 是如何行使功能的,从而进一步研究其在生长发育及各种疾病中所起的重要作用 .     

Microarray-based screening of the microRNAs associated with caryopsis development in Oryza sativa

Plant microRNAs modulate diverse developmental processes by regulating expression of their target genes. To explore potential miRNA-guided gene regulation in developing rice (Oryza sativa L.) caryopses, a miRNA microarray was used to identify miRNAs present at the different developmental stages. We found that 27 miRNAs, of which 16 were conserved miRNAs, were present in developing caryopses. High expression levels were detected for miR159, miR167, and miR530 at the morphogenesis stage and for miR169, miR435, and miR528 at the stage of accumulation of metabolites. Next, 26 target genes were predicted for seven of the detected miRNAs and the expression profiles of these miRNAs and their corresponding target genes were examined in developing caryopses. Our results suggest that the miRNAs and their target genes examined at the two distinct stages could contribute to the developmental progress of rice caryopses in concert with phytohormone signalling.     

Recovery of dicer-like 1-late flowering phenotype by miR172 expressed by the noncanonical DCL4-dependent biogenesis pathway

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) act as down-regulators of gene expression, and play a dominant role in eukaryote development. In Arabidopsis thaliana, DICER-LIKE 1 (DCL1) is the main processor in miRNA biogenesis, and dcl1 mutants show various developmental defects at the early stage of embryogenesis or at gamete formation. However, miRNAs responsible for the respective developmental stages of the dcl1 defects have not been identified. Here, we developed a DCL1-independent miRNA expression system using the unique DCL4-dependent miRNA, miR839. By replacing the mature sequence in the miR839 precursor sequence with that of miR172, one of the most widely conserved miRNAs in angiosperms, we succeeded in expressing miR172 from a chimeric miR839 precursor in dcl1-7 plants and observed the repression of miR172 target gene expression. In parallel, the DCL4-dependent miR172 expression rescued the late flowering phenotype of dcl1-7 by acceleration of flowering. We established the DCL1-independent miRNA expression system, and revealed that the reduction of miR172 expression is responsible for the dcl1-7 late flowering phenotype.     

Analysis of gradient-like expression of miR167 in Arabidopsis thaliana embryonic tissue

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute a class of small non-coding endogenous RNAs that regulate gene expression by targeting mRNAs for degradation or translational repression. MiRNAs are intensively investigated and they have been found to be a pivotal component of developmental regulation processes. Recent studies showed the non-cell autonomous function of several miRNAs. We analyzed the accumulation pattern of selected miRNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana embryonic tissues. The majority of the investigated miRNAs showed uniform accumulation across the embryo suggesting their possible role at this developmental stage. In the case of miR167 however, we detected a gradient-like expression profile which in earlier studies has been considered to be the hallmark of the non-cell autonomous activity of miRNAs. Using reporter assay we analyzed the expression patterns of the four MIR167 precursor genes. We found that two of the precursor genes, MIR167A and MIR167B, also showed an overlapping gradient-like expression patterns in the embryo. These data indicate that in addition to non-cell autonomous activity of some miRNAs, the gradient-like expression patterns can be generated also by the specific expression characteristic of miRNA precursor genes.     

MicroRNA gene regulation cascades during early stages of plant development

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate various developmental programs of plants. This review focuses on miRNA involvement in early events of plant development, such as seed germination, seedling development and the juvenile to adult phase transition. miR159 and miR160 are involved in the regulation of seed germination through their effects on the sensitivity of seeds to ABA. miR156 and miR172 play critical roles in the emergence of vegetative leaves at post-germinative stages, which is important for the transition to autotrophic growth. The phase transition from the juvenile to adult stage in both monocots and dicots is also regulated by miR156 and miR172. In these early developmental processes, there are miRNA gene regulation cascades where the miR156 pathway acts upstream of the miR172 pathway. Moreover, targets of miR156 and miR172 exert positive feedback on the expression of MIR genes that suppress themselves. The early events of plant development appear to be controlled by complex mechanisms involving sequential expression of different miRNA pathways and feedback loops among miRNAs and their target genes.     

Developmental wave of Brn3b expression leading to RGC fate specification is synergistically maintained by miR‐23a and miR‐374

Differential regulation of Brn3b is essential for the Retinal Ganglion Cell (RGC) development in the two phases of retinal histogenesis. This biphasic Brn3b regulation is required first, during early retinal histogenesis for RGC fate specification and secondly, during late histogenesis, where Brn3b is needed for RGC axon guidance and survival. Here, we have looked into how the regulation of Brn3b at these two stages happens. We identified two miRNAs, miR‐23a and miR‐374, as regulators of Brn3b expression, during the early stage of RGC development. Temporal expression pattern of miR‐23a during E10–19, PN1–7, and adult retina revealed an inverse relation with Brn3b expression. Though miR‐374 did not show such a pattern, its co‐expression with miR‐23a evidently inhibited Brn3b. We further substantiated these findings by ex vivo overexpression of these miRNAs in E14 mice retina and found that miR‐23a and miR‐374 together brings about a change in Brn3b expression pattern in ganglion cell layer (GCL) of the developing retina. From our results, it appears that the combined expression of these miRNAs could be regulating the timing of the wave of Brn3b expression required for early ganglion cell fate specification and later for its survival and maturation into RGCs. Taken together, here we provide convincing evidences for the existence of a co‐ordinated mechanism by miRNAs to down regulate Brn3b that will ultimately regulate the development of RGCs from their precursors. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 74: 1155–1171, 2014