title: MicroRNA regulation below zero: differential expression of miRNA-21 and miRNA-16 during freezing in wood frogs.
abstract: Natural freeze tolerance depends on numerous biochemical adaptations that address the multiple stresses imposed on cells by freezing and preserves viability by suppressing energy-expensive cell functions in the frozen state. We hypothesized that microRNAs, small non-coding RNA transcripts that bind to mRNA, could act to establish rapid biological controls that aid the reorganization of metabolic priorities for freezing survival. Selected microRNA species (miR-16 and miR-21) were evaluated using RT-PCR in liver and skeletal muscle of wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) comparing controls (5 degrees C acclimated) with animals frozen for 24h at -3 degrees C. Levels of miR-21 increased significantly during freezing by 1.5-fold and 1.3-fold in liver and skeletal muscle, respectively. MiR-16 transcripts also rose significantly by 1.5-fold in liver of frozen frogs but fell by 50% in skeletal muscle. Protein levels of Dicer, a type III RNase that is responsible for mature microRNA processing in the cytoplasm, were unchanged in liver and decreased significantly by 50% in muscle. This data provides the first report of differential regulation of microRNA species in a freeze tolerant vertebrate and suggest a mechanism for rapid, yet reversible, gene silencing when animals transition into the frozen state.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry and Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ont., Canada K1S.
authors.forename: Kyle K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Biggar
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dubuc
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Storey
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005615:Freezing; D020868:Gene Silencing / Q000502:physiology; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D011898:Ranidae / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D043244:Ribonuclease III / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D043244:Ribonuclease III