Assessing miR-451 Activity and Its Role in Erythropoiesis

The ability to microinject small RNAs and mRNAs into zebrafish embryos, of different genetic backgrounds, allows for the precise dissection of microRNA processing pathways at the molecular level, while simultaneously provides insight into their physiologic role. Here, we apply such an approach to determine the impact of Argonaute 2 in the processing of miR-451, a vertebrate-specific microRNA required for terminal erythrocyte differentiation. This was achieved using fluorescent microRNA reporter sensor assays and phenotype rescue experiments.