title: Identification of novel microRNA genes in freshwater and marine ecotypes of the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus).
abstract: The three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.) is an important model organism for studying the molecular mechanisms of speciation and adaptation to salinity. Despite increased interest to microRNA discovery and recent publication on microRNA prediction in the three-spined stickleback using bioinformatics approaches, there is still a lack of experimental support for these data. In this paper, high-throughput sequencing technology was applied to identify microRNA genes in gills of the three-spined stickleback. In total, 595 miRNA genes were discovered; half of them were predicted in previous computational studies and were confirmed here as microRNAs expressed in gill tissue. Moreover, 298 novel microRNA genes were identified. The presence of miRNA genes in selected 'divergence islands' was analysed and 10 miRNA genes were identified as not randomly located in 'divergence islands'. Regulatory regions of miRNA genes were found enriched with selective SNPs that may play a role in freshwater adaptation.
authors.affiliation: National Research Center 'Kurchatov Institute', Kurchatov sq. 1, Moscow, 123182, Russia. rastorgueff@gmail.com.|Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, (VNIRO) V. Krasnoselskaya str. 17, Moscow, 107140, Russia. rastorgueff@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Rastorguev
authors.affiliation: National Research Center 'Kurchatov Institute', Kurchatov sq. 1, Moscow, 123182, Russia.
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Nedoluzhko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 33, bld. 2 Leninsky Ave., Moscow, 119071, Russia.
authors.forename: F S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Sharko
authors.affiliation: National Research Center 'Kurchatov Institute', Kurchatov sq. 1, Moscow, 123182, Russia.
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Boulygina
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 33, bld. 2 Leninsky Ave., Moscow, 119071, Russia.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Sokolov
authors.affiliation: National Research Center 'Kurchatov Institute', Kurchatov sq. 1, Moscow, 123182, Russia.
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Gruzdeva
authors.affiliation: National Research Center 'Kurchatov Institute', Kurchatov sq. 1, Moscow, 123182, Russia.|Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 33, bld. 2 Leninsky Ave., Moscow, 119071, Russia.|Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-12, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Skryabin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 33, bld. 2 Leninsky Ave., Moscow, 119071, Russia.|Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory 1-12, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Prokhortchouk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060146:Ecotype; D005618:Fresh Water; D005880:Gills; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000032:analysis* / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D012623:Seawater; D023701:Smegmamorpha / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: 
  gasterosteus aculeatus
  ; adaptation; gene structure and function; miRNA; speciation