Transgenic microRNA inhibition with spatiotemporal specificity in intact organisms.
MicroRNAs are important regulators of gene expression, yet the functional outputs of most microRNA-target interactions remain elusive. Here we introduce the Drosophila melanogaster microRNA sponge (miR-SP) as a powerful transgenic technology to dissect the function of every microRNA with precise spatiotemporal resolution. miR-SPs can be used to characterize tissue-specific microRNA loss-of-function phenotypes, define the spatial regulation of their effectors and uncover interactions between microRNAs and other genes. Using themiR-SP system, we identified an essential role of the conserved microRNA miR-8, in neuromuscular junction formation. Tissue-specific silencing revealed that postsynaptic activity of miR-8 is important for normal neuromuscular junction morphogenesis. Given that miR-SPs rely on a bipartite modular expression system, they could be used to elucidate the endogenous function of microRNAs in any species in which conditional expression can be achieved.
Loya
Carlos M
CM
Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Lu
Cecilia S
CS
Van Vactor
David
D
Fulga
Tudor A
TA
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics*
D035683:MicroRNAs