A functional study of miR-124 in the developing neural tube
Abstract
Neural development is a highly orchestrated process that entails precise control of gene expression. Although microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in fine-tuning gene networks, the roles of individual miRNAs in vertebrate neural development have not been studied in vivo. We investigated the function of the most abundant neuronal miRNA, miR-124, during spinal cord development. Neither inhibition nor overexpression of miR-124 significantly altered the acquisition of neuronal fate, suggesting that miR-124 is unlikely to act as a primary determinant of neuronal differentiation. Two endogenous targets of miR-124, laminin γ1 and integrin β1, were identified, both of which are highly expressed by neural progenitors but repressed upon neuronal differentiation. Thus miR-124 appears to ensure that progenitor genes are post-transcriptionally inhibited in neurons.
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Footnotes
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↵3 Corresponding authors.
↵3 E-MAIL gage{at}salk.edu; FAX (858) 597-0824.
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↵4 E-MAIL pfaff{at}salk.edu; FAX (858) 453-2573.
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Supplemental material is available at http://www.genesdev.org.
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Article is online at http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.1519207
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- Received November 30, 2006.
- Accepted January 18, 2007.
- Copyright © 2007, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press