title: Discovering novel microRNAs and age-related nonlinear changes in rat brains using deep sequencing.
abstract: Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of brain aging remains a significant challenge for biogerontologists. The discovery of gene regulation by microRNAs (miRNAs) has added a new dimension for examining this process; however, the full complement of miRNAs involved in brain aging is still not known. In this study, miRNA profiles of young, adult, and old rats were obtained to evaluate molecular changes during aging. High-throughput deep sequencing revealed 547 known and 171 candidate novel miRNAs that were differentially expressed among groups. Unexpectedly, miRNA expression did not decline progressively with advancing age; moreover, genes targeted by age-associated miRNAs were predicted to be involved in biological processes linked to aging and neurodegenerative diseases. These findings provide novel insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying brain aging and a resource for future studies on age-related brain disorders.
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Lanxuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Yubai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jinfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Siyu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhenglu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Shenke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China; Qingyuan City People's Hospital of Jinan University, Qingyuan, Guangdong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Dazhong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. Electronic address: hnsdlgl@hunnu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Guolin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics*; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000235:genetics; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: Brain aging; Deep sequencing; MicroRNA; Neurodegenerative diseases