MicroRNAs在动物皮肤和毛发发育中的调控作用

MicroRNAs(miRNAs)是近年来发现的一类由19～25个核苷酸组成的非编码单链小RNA分子,它们通过与靶基因mRNA的3′非编码区相互配对结合,在转录后水平负调控靶基因的表达.miRNA参与了包括细胞增殖、分化和凋亡及免疫系统应答在内的一系列发育调控和生物学过程.最近几年研究发现,miRNA在多种哺乳动物皮肤中均表达,并参与了哺乳动物皮肤及毛发发育的调控过程.本文综述了近几年来miRNA在各种动物皮肤及毛发发育中的表达谱以及miRNA在皮肤形态发生中的重要作用.     

LncRNA在哺乳动物毛囊发育调控中的研究进展

长链非编码RNA(long non-coding RNA,lncRNA)是一类长度超过200 nt,本身不具编码能力的真核转录本,是基因编码蛋白的关键调节器,在转录水平和转录后水平调节基因的表达,广泛分布于动植物基因组中,作为一类重要的调节因子参与生命发育周期、细胞分化及疾病相关的一些生物学过程。目前,已有一些与皮肤生物学相关lncRNA的报道,但其在皮肤毛囊发育和毛发纤维中的功能及作用机制鲜有报道。近年来,新一代测序技术和芯片技术的结合为lncRNA的鉴定提供了更加有效和快速的途径。研究表明,部分lncRNA对皮肤毛囊细胞的增殖、分化及真皮乳头的形成具有一定影响,其相关靶基因参与调控毛囊的周期性生长。结合近期研究进展就lncRNA对毛囊生长发育的调控作用进行了综述,旨在为后续研究哺乳动物毛囊生长发育相关lncRNA的作用及调控机制奠定理论基础。     

牦牛miR-383的靶基因预测及生物信息学分析

MicroRNAs (miRNAs)是一类非编码的小分子单链RNA,通过与靶基因的mRNA结合,抑制mRNA的翻译,参与多种生物学过程.本实验室前期通过高通量测序发现90日龄牦牛胚胎的背最长肌中miR-383的表达量显著高于成年牦牛.为探究miR-383在牦牛骨骼肌发育中的分子功能和机制,本研究对miR-383的靶基因进行预测,并进行生物信息学分析.通过TargetScan、miRDB和miRanda 3个软件预测了miR-383的靶基因,然后合并miRTarbase数据库中已被证实的靶基因作为基因集,分别用DAVID和KOBAS3.0在线软件对基因集进行功能注释(GO分析)和Pathway信号通路富集分析.结果 表明,牦牛miR-383序列在各物种间高度保守,靶基因功能富集于CD8阳性T细胞增殖的调控、核糖核蛋白复合物定位和负调控T细胞分化等生物学过程.信号通路分析发现靶基因的信号通路显著富集于PI3K-Ak、AMPK、FoxO和Focal adhesion等与肌肉发育相关的信号通路中.该研究结果将为miR-383功能及调控机制的深入研究提供参考依据,也为解析牦牛肌肉发育的分子机制提供新的研究方向.     

microRNA:心血管发育及疾病中的重要调控因子

心脏是哺乳动物在胚胎发育时期最早形成的器官,心血管系统的正常发育及功能维持受到精确的调控。近年来,心血管疾病已成为危害人类生命的首要杀手之一,因此,对心血管的发育及疾病发生的机制研究一直是生命科学研究的热点问题。microRNA(miRNA)是一类长约18～25nt的单链非编码小RNA,主要通过结合于靶基因的3'非翻译区抑制靶基因的翻译或导致mRNA降解,从而抑制靶基因的表达。miRNA在许多生物学过程中发挥重要的调控作用,如细胞增殖、分化、凋亡、癌症发生等。最近研究表明,miRNA也参与调控心血管系统的发育和疾病发生过程。在此,该文对miRNA在心血管系统发育和疾病中的作用做一综述。     

皮肤毛囊发育的转录组研究进展

近年来,转录组测序技术在动物重要经济性状受复杂基因网络的调控研究领域取得了显著的成果。作为哺乳动物皮肤的衍生物,毛囊是唯一具有高度自我更新能力、独特的可再生器官,毛囊细胞经增殖分化最终形成毛发。已有的研究表明,诸多生长因子及其受体作为体内分泌协调基因的重要因素,对毛发的生长发育起着重要的调控作用。文章综述了近年来转录组测序技术在人、小鼠及羊等生物的皮肤毛囊发育和再生过程中基因调控方式的研究进展,旨在为今后人工干扰绒毛周期生长发育和分子育种提供理论依据,同时也为皮肤毛囊相关疾病的临床治疗提供新思路。     

生物信息学分析及预测miR-17-92的分子调控网络

miR-17-92是一个高度保守的基因家簇,参与哺乳动物多个器官发育并与多种实体瘤的发生密切相关。运用多个在线数据库,发现了miR-17-92的上游转录因子及下游靶基因间的多个前馈和反馈环路。并对参与miR-17-92调控环路的基因进行功能聚类分析,进而绘制出miR-17-92的核心调控网络图。结果提示miR-17-92与其上游转录因子共调控的靶基因可能参与了生物体的细胞周期调控,迁移、凋亡、激素应答、免疫系统发育等多种生物学过程,KEGG pathway分析提示其还与多种肿瘤 信号通路密切相关。因此,对miR-17-92分子调控网络生物信息学的分析可以有助于理解其在细胞发育和肿瘤发生过程中的作用机制并为后续实验验证提供良好的指导。     

MicroRNA调控哺乳动物骨骼肌发育

MicroRNA (miRNA)是一类长度大约为22 bp的小分子非编码RNA,广泛存在于哺乳动物中,部分miRNA表达具有时空和组织特异性。哺乳动物中miRNA主要通过与靶基因3° UTR区结合抑制其翻译,调控机体生物学功能。miRNA在哺乳动物骨骼肌发育中发挥重要调节作用。哺乳动物骨骼肌发育是一个复杂的生物学过程,包括骨骼肌干细胞增殖、迁移、分化,成肌细胞增殖、分化、肌管融合,肌纤维肥大,能量代谢,纤维类型转换等。miRNA参与骨骼肌发育的各个环节,通过靶向各个时期的关键因子调控骨骼肌发育。本文对miRNA在骨骼肌发育中的调控作用进行了综述,以期为深入理解骨骼肌发育规律提供参考。     

青年羊驼耳部和背部皮肤组织中miRNA差异表达研究

羊驼是毛用型经济动物,其耳部和背部的毛发品质和生长速度存在差异.MicroRNA(miRNA)是新发现的一类在转录后水平调控基因表达的非编码RNA分子,为比较miRNA在羊驼耳部和背部皮肤的表达差异,从而探讨miRNA在羊驼皮肤和毛囊发育过程中的调控作用,本实验提取羊驼皮肤总RNA,制备了羊驼皮肤miRNA芯片,通过与Affymetrix多物种miRNA芯片跨物种杂交对耳部和背部皮肤的miRNA进行筛选,并通过实时荧光定量PCR进行了验证,同时利用在线生物信息软件预测miRNA靶基因.结果显示,羊驼耳部和背部皮肤中高表达差异2倍以上的miRNA有39个,实时荧光定量PCR检测let-7b和miR-24在2个部位皮肤中的差异表达量与miRNA基因芯片结果一致;预测到let-7b和miR-24的靶基因中包含有与毛囊生长发育和毛发品质相关的基因,提示这些miRNA可能参与羊驼皮肤和毛囊的生长发育、更新以及毛发品质的调控.     

人类miRNA上游转录因子及下游靶基因的基因本体分析

目的研究人类miRNA转录因子及靶基因之间的相关关系。方法利用生物信息学方法预测miR-NA的上游转录因子和下游靶基因,并对预测结果做基因本体分析,得到参与各生物学过程及分子功能的比例,用统计学软件PASW做相关性分析。结果人类382个miRNA参与应激、代谢、发育等10个生物学过程和行使转录调控、翻译调控、催化活性等12个分子功能,miRNA上游转录因子之间、下游靶基因之间以及上下游之间存在着广泛的正负相关关系。结论基因在参与生物学过程及行使分子功能的过程中,通过miRNA实现协同作用或隔离效应。     

MicroRNA与胚胎神经发育

胚胎神经发育过程中,众多基因时空性表达及其表达产物相互作用形成精确的调控,其中某些基因表达质或量的改变会引起胚胎发育异常,导致先天畸形的发生.这一精确的基因表达调控过程是在转录及转录后等不同水平进行的.MicroRNAs(miRNAs),是这个基因调控大家族中新的成员.目前研究表明miRNAs在神经干细胞的不同发育阶段和哺乳动物脑发育过程中有不同的表达模式,这表明miRNAs可能在胚胎神经发育过程中起作用.本文就miRNAs在胚胎神经发育过程中的表达及功能作一综述.     

MicroRNA对皮肤毛囊发育的调控机制

MicroRNA是参与转录后水平表达调控的重要因子, 在病理上成为药物作用的潜在靶点, 在生理上成为表型调控的潜在位点。目前, 对于microRNA的功能已有一定了解, 但其在皮肤毛囊发育中的作用机制还不完全清楚。近年来, 高通量测序技术为microRNA的鉴定提供了更准确、快速的途径, 研究发现一些microRNA能够影响皮肤毛囊细胞的分化和增殖, 其相关靶基因在调控毛囊周期性生长的过程中充当重要角色。文章综述了近年来microRNA在皮肤毛囊生长发育调控机制研究领域所取得的成果, 以期为后续开展绒山羊毛囊生长相关microRNA作用机制研究提供借鉴。     

A subset of skin-expressed microRNAs with possible roles in goat and sheep hair growth based on expression profiling of mammalian microRNAs

The microRNAs (miRNAs) are an extensive class of small noncoding RNAs (18-25 nucleotides) with probable roles in the regulation of gene expression. Due to the fact that miRNAs are conserved in closely related eukaryotes and some are also conserved across a larger evolutionary distance, their potential functions in mammalian development are under active study. In order to identify mammalian miRNAs that might function in hair growth, we characterized the expression of 159 miRNAs in adult body side skin and ear skin from goat and sheep using microarray analysis. Of these, 19 miRNAs were specifically expressed or greatly enriched in body side skin in goats and sheep. This suggests hair growth-specific functions for miRNAs. Of the coexpressed 105 miRNAs, the degree of correlation within species is higher than interspecies. Nine of the expressed miRNAs were detected exclusively in the goat body side skin area where more cashmere was grown than coat hair; mmu-miR-720 and mmu-miR-199b were expressed primarily in goat skin. The identification of 105 of skin-expressed miRNAs whose expression behavior is conserved in goats and sheep differentiating hair follicles implicates these miRNAs have functions in mammalian hair follicles growth and development. We demonstrate that miRNAs previously associated with hair follicles in the mouse are also expressed in the adult skin of goats and sheep. In addition, 69 more conserved miRNAs cross-species were discerned in the study. Of them, the let-7, mir-17, mir-30, mir-15, and mir-8 gene families were expressed in high frequency. These results reveal critical roles of them in skin and hair follicle development and function.     

MicroRNA profile analysis on duck feather follicle and skin with high-throughput sequencing technology

Skin acts an important protection role in animal survival and it evolves with the animal divergence. We identified the conserved miRNA families of skin among duck and other species. Cluster analysis showed that the species with similar skin characteristics were clustered into the same group, indicating miRNAs are important in skin function and skin evolution. The miRNA profiles demonstrated that different miRNA regulation mechanism may exist in contour feather follicles (with the surrounding skin) and down feather follicles (with the surrounding skin). Comparing the highly abundant miRNAs with those of mammalian hair follicles and skins, different miRNAs and miRNA families were found, suggesting the different ways in feather follicles and mammalian hair follicles. Bioinformatics prediction indicated that seven miRNAs probably targeted the genes of Wnt/β-catenin, Shh/BMP and Notch pathways which were important in feather morphogenesis. Further analysis should be conducted to experimentally validate the relationships between miRNAs and their predicted target genes because the target genes were based exclusively upon the bioinformatics.     

Revealing liver specific microRNAs linked with carbohydrate metabolism of farmed carp,Labeo rohita (Hamilton, 1822)

The role of microRNA in gene regulation during developmental biology has been well depicted in several organisms. The present study was performed to investigate miRNAs role in the liver tissues during carbohydrate metabolism and their targets in the farmed carp rohu, Labeo rohita, which is economically important species in aquaculture. Using Illumina-HiSeq technology, a total of 22,612,316; 44,316,046 and 13,338,434 clean reads were obtained from three small-RNA libraries. We have identified 138 conserved and 161 novel miRNAs and studies revealed that miR-22, miR-122, miR-365, miR-200, and miR-146 are involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Further analysis depicted mature miRNA and their predicted target sites in genes that were involved in developmental biology, cellular activities, transportation, etc. This is the first report of the presence of miRNAs in liver tissue of rohu and their comparative profile linked with metabolism serves as a vital resource as a biomarker.     

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.