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Published on: January 12, 2018
miR-4504 is involved in nacre color formation in Hyriopsis cumingii
Xiajun Chen1, Mengying Zhang1, Jinpan Zhang1
1Key Laboratory of Freshwater Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai, 201306, China; National Demonstration Center for Experimental Fisheries Science Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Aquaculture, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, China.
Abstract:
Pearl color is affected by the nacre color of shells in Hyriopsis cumingii, and is the primary indicator of its value. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small non-coding RNAs that play important roles in many biological processes, including pigmentation. In this study, we used a luciferase reporter assay to identify that miR-4504 can interact with the 3'-untranslated region of the MITF gene in H. cumingii (HcMitf). After injecting mussels with the miR-4504 antagomir, the expression of miR-4504 was inhibited. Upon miR-4505 silencing, the expression of HcMitf and its downstream gene, HcTyr, were simultaneously increased. Tyrosinase activity and melanin content were also increased. The collective findings indicated that miR-4504 was involved in melanin synthesis in H. cumingii. These findings also improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of nacre color formation in H. cumingii.
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