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Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling during gastrulation negatively modulates the abundance of microRNAs that

Alexander S Bobbs1, Aleksi V Saarela, Tatiana A Yatskievych

  • 1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85724, USA.

The Journal of Biological Chemistry
|September 22, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) signaling regulates microRNA levels during embryonic gastrulation. FGF signaling impacts microRNA abundance via LIN28B-dependent and independent pathways, affecting gene expression.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) signaling is crucial for embryonic development, particularly during gastrulation, regulating cell movements and lineage specification.
  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that play significant roles in post-transcriptional gene regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of FGF signaling on microRNA expression during chicken embryo gastrulation.
  • To identify specific microRNAs regulated by FGF signaling and elucidate the underlying mechanisms, including the role of LIN28B.

Main Methods:

  • Identification of microRNAs in the primitive streak region of gastrula stage chicken embryos.
  • Analysis of FGF signaling's effect on microRNA abundance using gain- and loss-of-function experiments.
  • Luciferase assays to validate predicted mRNA targets of FGF-regulated microRNAs.

Main Results:

  • 44 microRNAs were identified in the primitive streak region.
  • FGF signaling negatively regulates the abundance of specific microRNAs (miR-let-7b, -9, -19b, -107, -130b, -218).
  • LIN28B, a known inhibitor of miRNA processing, is positively regulated by FGF signaling and mediates the regulation of some, but not all, FGF-responsive miRNAs.
  • Predicted targets of these miRNAs include key serine/threonine and tyrosine kinase receptors, such as PDGFRA, which is validated as a target of miR-130b and -218.

Conclusions:

  • FGF signaling regulates gene expression during gastrulation by modulating microRNA abundance through both LIN28B-dependent and LIN28B-independent pathways.
  • This regulatory mechanism provides novel insights into how FGF signaling controls developmental processes at the post-transcriptional level.

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