Diverse miRNA spatial expression patterns suggest important roles in homeostasis and regeneration in planarians
Diverse miRNA spatial expression patterns suggest important roles in homeostasis and regeneration in planarians
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DOI：
10.1387/ijdb.082825cg
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发表时间：
2009-01-01
影响因子：
0.7
通讯作者：
Aboobaker, A. Aziz
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Gonzalez-Estevez, Cristina;Arseni, Varvara;Aboobaker, A. Aziz
miRNAs是一类重要的非蛋白质编码小RNA，其在动物中的特异性功能正在迅速阐明。很明显，miRNAs在干细胞维持、细胞命运决定和分化中起着至关重要的作用。我们使用具有大量多能体干细胞的真涡虫作为一个强大的模型系统来研究干细胞生物学和再生的许多方面。特别是，我们希望调查的调控作用miRNA可能在涡虫干细胞自我更新，增殖和分化。在这里，我们的特点是在整个和再生的真涡虫通过原位杂交新生的miRNA转录表达的差异空间模式。这些miRNA表达模式是第一个已经确定的Lophotrocozoan动物。我们已经确定了42种miRNA在成年真涡虫中的表达模式，构成了完整的组织特异性表达模式。我们还跟踪了涡虫再生过程中miRNA的表达。大部分的涡虫miRNAs表达在干细胞（neoblast）所在的区域和/或神经系统中。一些miRNA在干细胞和分裂细胞中明确表达，如通过照射后的原位杂交所证实的。我们还发现miRNAs在有性品系的生殖干细胞中表达。总之，这些数据表明miRNA在涡虫干细胞调节和神经细胞分化中的重要作用。
miRNAs are an important class of non-protein coding small RNAs whose specific functions in animals are rapidly being elucidated. It is clear that miRNAs can play crucial roles in stem cell maintenance, cell fate determination and differentiation. We use planarians, which possess a large population of pluripotent somatic stem cells, as a powerful model system to study many aspects of stem cell biology and regeneration. In particular we wish to investigate the regulatory role miRNAs may have in planarian stem cell self renewal, proliferation and differentiation. Here, we characterized the differential spatial patterns of expression of miRNAs in whole and regenerating planarians by in situ hybridization to nascent miRNA transcripts. These miRNA expression patterns are the first which have been determined for a Lophotrocozoan animal. We have characterized the expression patterns of 42 miRNAs in adult planarians, constituting a complete range of tissue specific expression patterns. We also followed miRNA expression during planarian regeneration. The majority of planarian miRNAs were expressed either in areas where stem cells (neoblasts) are located and/or in the nervous system. Some miRNAs were definitively expressed in stem cells and dividing cells as confirmed by in situ hybridisation after irradiation. We also found miRNAs to be expressed in germ stem cells of the sexual strain. Together, these data suggest an important role for miRNAs in stem cell regulation and in neural cell differentiation in planarians.