Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 29, 2025
05:48
Micromanipulation of Gene Expression in the Adult Zebrafish Brain Using Cerebroventricular Microinjection of Morpholino Oligonucleotides
Published on: May 23, 2013
19.8K
Imprinted Maternally Expressed microRNAs Antagonize Paternally Driven Gene Programs in Neurons
Amanda J Whipple1, Vincent Breton-Provencher2, Hannah N Jacobs3
1Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Molecular Cell
|February 8, 2020
Summary
Maternally expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) from the miR-379/410 cluster regulate neuronal gene expression. Deleting this cluster impacts synaptic transmission and neuronal function by altering target gene activity.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Genomic imprinting regulates parent-specific gene expression.
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key post-transcriptional regulators.
- Imprinted genes are often co-regulated in biological pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To functionally characterize the imprinted miR-379/410 miRNA cluster.
- To investigate the consequences of maternally expressed miRNAs in neurons.
- To explore miRNA-mediated antagonism of paternally expressed genes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an induced neuron (iN) culture system.
- Performed maternal deletion of the miR-379/410 miRNA cluster.
- Analyzed target gene expression and protein levels via RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) interactions.
Main Results:
- Maternally expressed miRNAs target transcriptional and developmental regulators, including Plagl1.
- Maternal deletion led to increased target protein levels and altered transcriptional programs.
- Upregulation of synaptic transmission and neuronal function pathways observed.
- De-repression of Plagl1 partially explains observed transcriptional changes.
Conclusions:
- Maternally expressed miRNAs from the miR-379/410 cluster play a critical role in neuronal development and function.
- These miRNAs antagonize paternally expressed gene programs in neurons.
- Imprinted miRNA clusters contribute to the complexity of gene regulation in the brain.
Related Concept Videos
02:30Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
36.6K
Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
36.6K
01:22MicroRNAs
3.6K
MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns (non-coding regions of a gene) or intergenic regions (stretches of DNA present between genes). Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself, forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After the pre-miRNA...
3.6K
01:22MicroRNAs
23.8K
MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns—non-coding regions of a gene—or intergenic regions—stretches of DNA present between genes. Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After...
23.8K
01:23RNA Interference
27.6K
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
27.6K
02:57piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs
7.4K
PIWI-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs, are the most abundant short non-coding RNAs. More than 20,000 genes have been found in humans that code for piRNAs while only 2000 genes have been found for miRNAs. piRNAs can act at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and have a vital role in silencing transposable elements present in germ cells. They are also involved in epigenetic silencing and activation. Previously, they were thought to function only in germ cells but new evidence suggests...
7.4K
02:15Experimental RNAi
7.2K
RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
7.2K