Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2025
mirMachine: A One-Stop Shop for Plant miRNA Annotation
Published on: May 1, 2021
Atypical Plant miRNA cal-miR2911: Robust Stability against Food Digestion and Specific Promoting Effect on
Qin Xu1, Jianing Wang1, Yi Zhang2
1College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710062, China.
Abstract:
Previous studies showed that cal-miR2911, featuring an atypical biogenesis, could target genes of virus and in turn inhibit virus replication. Given its especial sequence motif and cross-kingdom potential, the stability of miR2911 under digestive environment and its impact on intestinal microbes in mice were examined. The results showed that miR2911 was of considerable stability during oral, gastric, and intestinal digestion. The coingested food matrix enhanced its stability in the gastric phase, contributing to the existence of miR2911 in mouse intestines. The survival miR2911 promoted the growth of Bifidobacterium in mice and maintained the overall composition and diversity of the gut microbiota. miR2911 specifically entered the cells of Bifidobacterium adolescentis and potentially modulated the gene expression as evidenced by the dual-luciferase assay. The current study provided evidence on the cross-kingdom communication between dietary miRNAs and gut microbes, suggesting that modulating target bacteria using miRNAs for nutritional and therapeutic ends is promising.
Insights
Dietary microRNA-2911 (miR2911) is stable in the digestive tract and promotes beneficial gut bacteria like Bifidobacterium. This suggests potential for using miRNAs to modulate gut microbiota for health benefits.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Molecular Biology
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Dietary microRNAs (miRNAs) possess cross-kingdom communication potential.
- Cal-miR2911 exhibits atypical biogenesis and antiviral properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the stability of cal-miR2911 in a digestive environment.
- To determine the impact of cal-miR2911 on the gut microbiota in mice.
Main Methods:
- Assessing miR2911 stability through simulated oral, gastric, and intestinal digestion.
- Analyzing gut microbiota composition and diversity in mice after miR2911 administration.
- Investigating miR2911 cellular uptake and gene modulation in Bifidobacterium adolescentis using dual-luciferase assays.
Main Results:
- miR2911 demonstrated significant stability across all digestive phases, enhanced by food matrices.
- Oral administration of miR2911 promoted Bifidobacterium growth and maintained gut microbiota diversity in mice.
- miR2911 was specifically internalized by Bifidobacterium adolescentis, with evidence of gene expression modulation.
Conclusions:
- Dietary miR2911 survives digestion and positively influences gut microbial communities.
- This study provides evidence for cross-kingdom communication between dietary miRNAs and gut microbes.
- Modulating gut bacteria with miRNAs presents a promising avenue for nutritional and therapeutic interventions.
