Regulation of microRNA on plant development and viral infection

THE FIRST MIRNA WAS IDENTIFIED IN C. ELEGANS AS EARLY AS IN 1993; THE IMPORTANCE OF MIRNAS, HOWEVER, IS RECOGNIZED ONLY RECENTLY AFTER THE DISCOVERY OF MIRNAS EXISTING UNIVERSALLY IN EUKARYOTIC ORGANISMS. THE SECOND MIRNA WAS IDENTIFIED IN 2000[1]. SINCE …     

弱精症患者精子miRNA表达谱的构建和分析

应用基因芯片技术构建弱精症患者精子中miRNA表达谱．收集30份弱精症患者精液标本和20份成年健康有生育能力男性的精液标本,提取精子RNA,标记后,与miRCURY^TM Array芯片杂交．分析弱精症患者精于中miRNA表达情况．高活力精子和低活力精子共196个miRNA存在表达差异,上调miRNA93个,下调miRNA103个．弱精症患者精子miRNA表达谱的建立对分析精子运动的分子机制和探讨弱精症的病因将会有所帮助．     

Correlation of microRNAs responding to high dose γ-irradiation with predicted target mRNAs in HeLa cells using microarray analyses

An increasing data indicates that altered microRNAs （miRNAs） participate in the radiation-induced DNA damage response. However, a correlation of mRNA and miRNA profiles across the entire genome and in response to irradiation has not been thor- oughly assessed. We analyzed miRNA microarray data collected from HeLa cells after ionizing radiation （IR）, quantified the ex- pression profiles of mRNAs and performed comparative analysis of the data sets using target prediction algorithms, Gene Ontol- ogy （GO） analysis, pathway analysis, and gene network construction. The results showed that the altered miRNAs were involved in regulation of various cellular functions, miRNA-gene network analyses revealed that miR- 186, miR- 106b, miR- 15 a/b, CCND 1 and CDK6 played vital role in the cellular radiation response. Using qRT-PCR, we confirmed that twenty-two miRNAs showed differential expression in HeLa cells treated with IR and some of these miRNAs affected cell cycle progression. This study demonstrated that miRNAs influence gene expression in the entire genome during the cellular radiation response and suggested vital pathways for further research.     

A viral microRNA functions as an orthologue of cellular miR-155

All metazoan eukaryotes express microRNAs (miRNAs), roughly 22-nucleotide regulatory RNAs that can repress the expression of messenger RNAs bearing complementary sequences. Several DNA viruses also express miRNAs in infected cells, suggesting a role in viral replication and pathogenesis. Although specific viral miRNAs have been shown to autoregulate viral mRNAs or downregulate cellular mRNAs, the function of most viral miRNAs remains unknown. Here we report that the miR-K12-11 miRNA encoded by Kaposi's-sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV) shows significant homology to cellular miR-155, including the entire miRNA 'seed' region. Using a range of assays, we show that expression of physiological levels of miR-K12-11 or miR-155 results in the downregulation of an extensive set of common mRNA targets, including genes with known roles in cell growth regulation. Our findings indicate that viral miR-K12-11 functions as an orthologue of cellular miR-155 and probably evolved to exploit a pre-existing gene regulatory pathway in B cells. Moreover, the known aetiological role of miR-155 in B-cell transformation suggests that miR-K12-11 may contribute to the induction of KSHV-positive B-cell tumours in infected patients.     

Interferon modulation of cellular microRNAs as an antiviral mechanism

RNA interference through non-coding microRNAs (miRNAs) represents a vital component of the innate antiviral immune response in plants and invertebrate animals; however, a role for cellular miRNAs in the defence against viral infection in mammalian organisms has thus far remained elusive. Here we show that interferon beta (IFNbeta) rapidly modulates the expression of numerous cellular miRNAs, and that eight of these IFNbeta-induced miRNAs have sequence-predicted targets within the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genomic RNA. The introduction of synthetic miRNA-mimics corresponding to these IFNbeta-induced miRNAs reproduces the antiviral effects of IFNbeta on HCV replication and infection, whereas neutralization of these antiviral miRNAs with anti-miRNAs reduces the antiviral effects of IFNbeta against HCV. In addition, we demonstrate that IFNbeta treatment leads to a significant reduction in the expression of the liver-specific miR-122, an miRNA that has been previously shown to be essential for HCV replication. Therefore, our findings strongly support the notion that mammalian organisms too, through the interferon system, use cellular miRNAs to combat viral infections.     

环境污染地区成年男性精子microRNA表达谱的建立

通过收集污染区男性精液标本30份和30份对照地区成年男性的精液标本,提取精子RNA,标记后与miRCU-RYTM LNA Array芯片杂交,分析环境污染与对照地区成年男性精子中miRNA的表达情况。结果表明环境污染与对照地区男性精子共182个miRNA存在表达差异,在环境污染地区73个miRNAs显著上调,109个m...     

Silencing of microRNAs in vivo with 'antagomirs'

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of non-coding RNAs that are believed to be important in many biological processes through regulation of gene expression. The precise molecular function of miRNAs in mammals is largely unknown and a better understanding will require loss-of-function studies in vivo. Here we show that a novel class of chemically engineered oligonucleotides, termed 'antagomirs', are efficient and specific silencers of endogenous miRNAs in mice. Intravenous administration of antagomirs against miR-16, miR-122, miR-192 and miR-194 resulted in a marked reduction of corresponding miRNA levels in liver, lung, kidney, heart, intestine, fat, skin, bone marrow, muscle, ovaries and adrenals. The silencing of endogenous miRNAs by this novel method is specific, efficient and long-lasting. The biological significance of silencing miRNAs with the use of antagomirs was studied for miR-122, an abundant liver-specific miRNA. Gene expression and bioinformatic analysis of messenger RNA from antagomir-treated animals revealed that the 3' untranslated regions of upregulated genes are strongly enriched in miR-122 recognition motifs, whereas downregulated genes are depleted in these motifs. Analysis of the functional annotation of downregulated genes specifically predicted that cholesterol biosynthesis genes would be affected by miR-122, and plasma cholesterol measurements showed reduced levels in antagomir-122-treated mice. Our findings show that antagomirs are powerful tools to silence specific miRNAs in vivo and may represent a therapeutic strategy for silencing miRNAs in disease.     

水稻低温胁迫响应 ｍｉｃｒｏＲＮＡ 鉴定

水稻是世界三大粮食作物之一,然而低温胁迫会严重抑制水稻的生长发育。为了探究micoRNA在水稻低温胁迫中的作用,采用低温处理前,5℃低温处理24h和5℃低温处理48h的2~3叶期水稻整株,构建9个小RNA文库。通过高通量测序后,对9个小RNA文库的microRNA进行差异表达分析,一共筛选出21个与冷胁迫相关的microRNA,其中16个在冷胁迫下上调,5个在冷胁迫下下调。通过对这21个microRNA靶基因的CO富集结果表明,其靶基因广泛富集在包括信号转导,免疫系统和物质合成等细胞内过程中。这表明水稻可能通过多种micoRNA 介导,从各个方面来协同抵御低温胁迫。本研究为进一步阐明microRNA响应低温胁迫的分子机制提供了基础,且本研究所鉴定的microRNA为增强水稻对低温耐受性遗传改良提供了优异的miRNA资源。