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Updated: May 20, 2026

Isolation of Intermediate Filament Proteins from Multiple Mouse Tissues to Study Aging-associated Post-translational Modifications
Published on: May 18, 2017
Novel microRNAs differentially expressed during aging in the mouse brain
Sachi Inukai1, Alexandre de Lencastre, Michael Turner
1Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) decline in aging mouse brains, impacting insulin signaling pathways. These findings suggest conserved roles for miRNAs in vertebrate brain aging and potential therapeutic targets.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Neuroscience
Background:
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally.
- While miRNA roles in aging are known in C. elegans, their function in vertebrate aging remains unclear.
- Understanding brain aging mechanisms is crucial for age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of microRNAs in the aging process of the vertebrate brain.
- To identify novel microRNAs and their expression changes in aged mouse brains.
- To explore potential targets of aging-associated microRNAs in the brain.
Main Methods:
- Deep sequencing of small RNAs from young and old mouse brains.
- Analysis of known and novel microRNA expression profiles.
- Target prediction analysis for identified aging-associated microRNAs.
Main Results:
- Identified 558 known and 41 novel microRNAs in mouse brains.
- Observed significant expression changes ( >2.0-fold) in 75 known and 18 novel microRNAs.
- Found a general decline in microRNA abundance in aged brains.
- Target prediction indicated novel microRNAs may target insulin signaling pathway genes.
Conclusions:
- A significant number of microRNAs show altered expression in aging mouse brains.
- Declining microRNA levels in aged brains may contribute to aging-related functional changes.
- Novel aging-associated microRNAs, potentially targeting insulin signaling, could regulate brain aging in vertebrates, including humans.
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