title: miRNeye: a microRNA expression atlas of the mouse eye.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of biological processes. To define miRNA function in the eye, it is essential to determine a high-resolution profile of their spatial and temporal distribution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this report, we present the first comprehensive survey of miRNA expression in ocular tissues, using both microarray and RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) procedures. We initially determined the expression profiles of miRNAs in the retina, lens, cornea and retinal pigment epithelium of the adult mouse eye by microarray. Each tissue exhibited notably distinct miRNA enrichment patterns and cluster analysis identified groups of miRNAs that showed predominant expression in specific ocular tissues or combinations of them. Next, we performed RNA ISH for over 220 miRNAs, including those showing the highest expression levels by microarray, and generated a high-resolution expression atlas of miRNAs in the developing and adult wild-type mouse eye, which is accessible in the form of a publicly available web database. We found that 122 miRNAs displayed restricted expression domains in the eye at different developmental stages, with the majority of them expressed in one or more cell layers of the neural retina.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This analysis revealed miRNAs with differential expression in ocular tissues and provided a detailed atlas of their tissue-specific distribution during development of the murine eye. The combination of the two approaches offers a valuable resource to decipher the contributions of specific miRNAs and miRNA clusters to the development of distinct ocular structures.
authors.affiliation: Telethon Institute for Genetics and Medicine, Via P. Castellino 111, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Marianthi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karali
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Peluso
authors.forename: Vincenzo A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Gennarino
authors.forename: Marchesa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bilio
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Verde
authors.forename: Giampiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lago
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dollé
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banfi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002924:Ciliary Body / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D003315:Cornea / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D005123:Eye / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D020407:Internet; D007498:Iris / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs