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Updated: Mar 21, 2026
Microinjection of mRNA and Morpholino Antisense Oligonucleotides in Zebrafish Embryos.
Published on: May 7, 2009
MicroRNA-140-5p impairs zebrafish embryonic bone development via targeting BMP-2
Shiquan Gan1,2, Zhaoqin Huang1,2, Ning Liu1,3
1Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of State Education Ministry of China, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Abstract:
MicroRNA-140-5p (miRNA-140-5p) is important for embryonic bone development. In this study, we found that miRNA-140-5p and its binding site in the 3'UTR of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) are highly conserved among vertebrates, and miRNA-140-5p negatively regulates both zebrafish and human BMP-2 genes. Microinjection of miRNA-140-5p or BMP-2b morpholino into zebrafish embryos led to a similar phenotype, including shortened tails, curved trunks, and defects in cranial cartilage. Moreover, miRNA-140-5p injection induced zebrafish embryo malformation that could be significantly rescued by microinjection of BMP-2 mRNA. In conclusion, our results indicated that miRNA-140-5p regulates zebrafish embryonic bone development via targeting BMP-2.
