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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highly expressed in vertebrate neural tissues, but the contribution of specific miRNAs to the development and function of different neuronal populations is still largely unknown. We report that miRNAs are required for terminal differentiation of olfactory precursors in both mouse and zebrafish but are dispensable for proper function of mature olfactory neurons. The repertoire of miRNAs expressed in olfactory tissues contains over 100 distinct miRNAs. A subset, including the miR-200 family, shows high olfactory enrichment and expression patterns consistent with a role during olfactory neurogenesis. Loss of function of the miR-200 family phenocopies the terminal differentiation defect observed in absence of all miRNA activity in olfactory progenitors. Our data support the notion that vertebrate tissue differentiation is controlled by conserved subsets of organ-specific miRNAs in both mouse and zebrafish and provide insights into control mechanisms underlying olfactory differentiation in vertebrates., National Institutes of Health. (U.S.) (grant NS049319), National Institutes of Health. (U.S.) (grant GM56211), Wellcome Trust (London, England) (grant 066790/B/02/Z)

available in PMC 2010 August 23, MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are approximately 23 nt regulatory RNAs that posttranscriptionally inhibit the functions of protein-coding mRNAs. We previously found that most C. elegans miRNAs are individually not essential for development or viability and proposed that paralogous miRNAs might often function redundantly . To test this hypothesis, we generated mutant C. elegans strains that each lack multiple or all members of one of 15 miRNA families. Mutants for 12 of these families did not display strong synthetic abnormalities, suggesting that these miRNA families have subtle roles during development. By contrast, mutants deleted for all members of the mir-35 or mir-51 families died as embryos or early larvae, and mutants deleted for four members of the mir-58 family showed defects in locomotion, body size, and egg laying and an inability to form dauer larvae. Our findings indicate that the regulatory functions of most individual miRNAs and most individual families of miRNAs related in sequence are not critical for development or viability. Conversely, because in some cases miRNA family members act redundantly, our findings emphasize the importance of determining miRNA function in the absence of miRNAs related in sequence., Ellison Medical Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Background: MicroRNAs are a large new class of tiny regulatory RNAs found in nematodes, plants, insects and mammals. MicroRNAs are thought to act as post-transcriptional modulators of gene expression. In invertebrates microRNAs have been implicated as regulators of developmental timing, neuronal differentiation, cell proliferation, programmed cell death and fat metabolism. Little is known about the roles of microRNAs in mammals. Results: We isolated 18-26 nucleotide RNAs from developing rat and monkey brains. From the sequences of these RNAs and the sequences of the rat and human genomes we determined which of these small RNAs are likely to have derived from stem-loop precursors typical of microRNAs. Next, we developed a microarray technology suitable for detecting microRNAs and printed a microRNA microarray representing 138 mammalian microRNAs corresponding to the sequences of the microRNAs we cloned as well as to other known microRNAs. We used this microarray to determine the profile of microRNAs expressed in the developing mouse brain. We observed a temporal wave of expression of microRNAs, suggesting that microRNAs play important roles in the development of the mammalian brain. Conclusion: We describe a microarray technology that can be used to analyze the expression of microRNAs and of other small RNAs. MicroRNA microarrays offer a new tool that should facilitate studies of the biological roles of microRNAs. We used this method to determine the microRNA expression profile during mouse brain development and observed a temporal wave of gene expression of sequential classes of microRNAs., European Molecular Biology Organization (Fellowship ALTF-153-2000), Wellcome Trust (London, England) (Fellowship GR061641), Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (U.S.), National Eye Institute (Grant R01EY06039)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology, 2008., This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections., Includes bibliographical references (p. 231-252)., MicroRNAs (miRNAs) were discovered in C. elegans during studies of the control of developmental timing. MicroRNAs are a large class of short non-coding RNAs found in many viruses, plants and animals that regulate gene expression through sequence-specific base-pairing with target mRNAs. Initial studies since the identification of many miRNAs only six years ago, have revealed their very diverse roles in biology. Yet, few miRNAs have been studied using loss-of-function mutations. We have generated deletion mutations in 87 miRNA genes in C. elegans, and performed an initial characterization of the 95 miRNA mutants available (86% of known C. elegans miRNAs). We found that the majority of miRNAs are not essential for the viability or development of C. elegans, and mutations in most miRNA genes do not result in grossly abnormal phenotypes. Within species, many miRNAs can be grouped into families according to their sequence similarities. We generated a collection of 12 multiply mutant C. elegans strains that each lacks an entire miRNA family. We found that at least four families display synthetic abnormalities, indicating that miRNAs within a family can have redundant functions. While single mutants are superficially wild-type, mutants deleted for all members of the mir-35 or the mir-51 families show embryonic or early larval lethality, mutants deleted for all members of the mir-58 family show an egglaying defect, and mutants deleted for some members of the let-7 family show defects in developmental timing. We developed a microarray technology suitable for detecting microRNAs and used this microarray to determine the profile of microRNAs expressed in the developing mouse brain. We observed a temporal wave of expression of microRNAs, suggesting that microRNAs play important roles in the development of the mammalian brain., (cont.) We also performed a systematic expression analysis of 334 samples covering diverse human cancers, using a bead-based flow cytometric miRNA expression profiling method we developed. The miRNA profiles reflect the developmental lineage and differentiation state of the tumors, and reveal a general down-regulation of miRNAs in tumors compared to normal tissues., by Ezequiel Alvarez-Saavedra., Ph.D.