title: [Role of miRNA-126/miRNA-126* in the fetal lung development of rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the expression and role of miRNA-126/miRNA-126(*) in the fetal lung development of rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twelve pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups and the fetal rats were removed at 16, 19 and 21 days of gestation respectively. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed to observe lung morphology of fetal rats. Then microRNA (miRNA) microarray was used to study the expression patterns of miRNA-126/miRNA-126(*) in fetal lungs at the three time points. And miRNA-126(*) was selected for further study by real-time PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no evident difference in the expression of miRNA-126 among the three groups, however the expression level of miRNA-126(*) increased gradually as the fetal lung developed. The real-time PCR result further showed that expression of miRNA-126(*) increased gradually with lung development, displaying significant differences among the three groups (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  miRNA-126(*) may play an important role in development of the fetal lung in rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Nanjing Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Kan
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Xiao-Dan
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Pu
authors.forename: Pan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiao-Qun
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiao-Yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008168:Lung / Q000196:embryology*; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: C571458:MIRN126 microRNA, rat; D035683:MicroRNAs