Coat color determination by miR-137 mediated down-regulation of microphthalmia-associated transcription factor in a mouse model
- Changsheng Dong1,5,6,
- Haidong Wang1,5,
- Linli Xue2,
- Yanjun Dong1,3,
- Lei Yang1,
- Ruiwen Fan1,
- Xiuju Yu1,
- Xue Tian1,
- Shuhui Ma1 and
- George W. Smith1,4
- 1College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine,
- 2College of Information, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, PC 030801, Shanxi, China
- 3Nephrology Division, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
- 4Laboratory of Mammalian Reproductive Biology and Genomics, Departments of Animal Science and Physiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
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↵5 These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract
Coat color is a key economic trait in wool-producing species. Color development and pigmentation are controlled by complex mechanisms in animals. Here, we report the first production of an altered coat color by overexpression of miR-137 in transgenic mice. Transgenic mice overexpressing miR-137 developed a range of coat color changes from dark black to light color. Molecular analyses of the transgenic mice showed decreased expression of the major target gene termed MITF and its downstream genes, including TYR, TYRP1, and TYRP2. We also showed that melanogenesis altered by miR-137 is distinct from that affected by UV radiation in transgenic mice. Our study provides the first mouse model for the study of coat color controlled by miRNAs in animals and may have important applications in wool production.
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Footnotes
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↵6 Corresponding author
E-mail dongchangsheng2010{at}hotmail.com
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Article published online ahead of print. Article and publication date are at http://www.rnajournal.org/cgi/doi/10.1261/rna.033977.112.
- Received April 22, 2012.
- Accepted June 11, 2012.
- Copyright © 2012 RNA Society