title: Characterizing light-regulated retinal microRNAs reveals rapid turnover as a common property of neuronal microRNAs.
abstract: Adaptation to different levels of illumination is central to the function of the retina. Here, we demonstrate that levels of the miR-183/96/182 cluster, miR-204, and miR-211 are regulated by different light levels in the mouse retina. Concentrations of these microRNAs were downregulated during dark adaptation and upregulated in light-adapted retinas, with rapid decay and increased transcription being responsible for the respective changes. We identified the voltage-dependent glutamate transporter Slc1a1 as one of the miR-183/96/182 targets in photoreceptor cells. We found that microRNAs in retinal neurons decay much faster than microRNAs in nonneuronal cells. The high turnover is also characteristic of microRNAs in hippocampal and cortical neurons, and neurons differentiated from ES cells in vitro. Blocking activity reduced turnover of microRNAs in neuronal cells while stimulation with glutamate accelerated it. Our results demonstrate that microRNA metabolism in neurons is higher than in most other cells types and linked to neuronal activity.
authors.affiliation: Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, PO Box 2543, 4002 Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Krol
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Busskamp
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Markiewicz
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Stadler
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ribi
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Duebel
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bicker
authors.forename: Hans Jörg
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Fehling
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schübeler
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Oertner
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schratt
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bibel
authors.forename: Botond
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Roska
authors.forename: Witold
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Filipowicz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003623:Dark Adaptation; D015536:Down-Regulation; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells; D050580:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000378:metabolism; D055351:Retinal Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D050580:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 3; D035683:MicroRNAs; C493399:Slc1a1 protein, mouse