title: Members of the miRNA-200 family regulate olfactory neurogenesis.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highly expressed in vertebrate neural tissues, but the contribution of specific miRNAs to the development and function of different neuronal populations is still largely unknown. We report that miRNAs are required for terminal differentiation of olfactory precursors in both mouse and zebrafish but are dispensable for proper function of mature olfactory neurons. The repertoire of miRNAs expressed in olfactory tissues contains over 100 distinct miRNAs. A subset, including the miR-200 family, shows high olfactory enrichment and expression patterns consistent with a role during olfactory neurogenesis. Loss of function of the miR-200 family phenocopies the terminal differentiation defect observed in absence of all miRNA activity in olfactory progenitors. Our data support the notion that vertebrate tissue differentiation is controlled by conserved subsets of organ-specific miRNAs in both mouse and zebrafish and provide insights into control mechanisms underlying olfactory differentiation in vertebrates.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
authors.forename: Philip S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zakhary
authors.forename: Wen-Yee
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caron
authors.forename: Ezequiel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Saavedra
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Miska
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McManus
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Harfe
authors.forename: Antonio J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Giraldez
authors.forename: H Robert
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Horvitz
authors.forename: Alexander F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Schier
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dulac
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009833:Olfactory Pathways / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D015027:Zebrafish
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins