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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
10:51
Isolation and Culture of Primary Mouse Keratinocytes from Neonatal and Adult Mouse Skin
Published on: July 14, 2017
DGCR8-dependent microRNA biogenesis is essential for skin development
Rui Yi1, H Amalia Pasolli, Markus Landthaler
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development, and Laboratory of RNA Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Summary
MicroRNAs are crucial for mammalian skin development. Comparing Dicer and DGCR8 knockouts confirmed microRNAs, not siRNAs, cause skin defects, highlighting their specific importance.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- MicroRNAs are vital regulators of animal development.
- Dicer conditional knockouts (cKOs) have been used to study microRNA function, but Dicer's role in siRNA biogenesis complicates interpretation.
- Previous studies identified Dicer's role in embryonic skin morphogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To definitively determine the role of microRNAs in mammalian skin development.
- To distinguish the effects of microRNA loss from siRNA loss in Dicer cKOs.
- To compare the functions of Dicer and DGCR8 in skin development.
Main Methods:
- Conditional knockout (cKO) strategy targeting Dicer and DGCR8 in mouse skin.
- Comparative phenotypic analysis of Dicer- and DGCR8-null skin.
- Deep sequencing to analyze microRNA expression profiles in null skin.
Main Results:
- Dicer- and DGCR8-null skin exhibited indistinguishable and striking developmental defects.
- Deep sequencing revealed that most abundant skin microRNAs depend on both Dicer and DGCR8.
- The results confirm that Dicer cKO phenotypes in skin are attributable to microRNA loss.
Conclusions:
- MicroRNAs, specifically, are essential for mammalian embryonic skin morphogenesis.
- DGCR8 is as critical as Dicer for microRNA biogenesis and function in skin development.
- This study clarifies the specific role of microRNAs in skin development, distinct from siRNAs.
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