Differential regulation of germline mRNAs in soma and germ cells by zebrafish miR-430.
Early in development, primordial germ cells (PGCs) are set aside from somatic cells and acquire a unique gene-expression program . The mechanisms underlying germline-specific gene expression are largely unknown. Nanos expression is required during germline development and is posttranscriptionally restricted to PGCs . Here we report that the microRNA miR-430 targets the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of nanos1 during zebrafish embryogenesis. A miR-430 target site within the nanos1 3' UTR reduces poly(A) tail length, mRNA stability, and translation. Repression is disrupted in maternal-zygotic dicer mutants (MZdicer), which lack mature miRNAs , and is restored by injection of processed miR-430. Although miR-430 represses other genes equally in germline and soma, specific regions in the nanos1 3' UTR compensate for microRNA-mediated repression in PGCs and allow germline-specific expression. We show that the 3' UTR of an additional PGC-specific gene, TDRD7, is also targeted by miR-430. These results indicate that miR-430 targets the 3' UTRs of germline genes and suggest that differential susceptibility to microRNAs contributes to tissue-specific gene expression.
Mishima
Yuichiro
Y
Department of Biology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodaicho, Nadaku, Kobe 657-8501, Japan.
Giraldez
Antonio J
AJ
Takeda
Yasuaki
Y
Fujiwara
Toshinobu
T
Sakamoto
Hiroshi
H
Schier
Alexander F
AF
Inoue
Kunio
K
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D026723:Polyadenylation; D034622:RNA Interference; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D043244:Ribonuclease III / Q000235:genetics; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D035683:MicroRNAs; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C440015:nanos3 protein, zebrafish; D043244:Ribonuclease III