GSE117245
Transcriptional dynamics of microRNAs and their targets during Drosophila neurogenesis
During Drosophila melanogaster embryogenesis, a tight regulation of gene expression in time and space is required for the orderly emergence of the various specific cell types. While the general importance of microRNAs in modulating and regulating eukaryotic gene expression has already been well-established, their role in early neurogenesis remains to be addressed. In this survey, we investigate the transcriptional dynamics of microRNAs and their target transcripts during the neurogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster. To this end, we use the recently developed DIV-MARIS protocol, a method for enriching specific cell types from the Drosophila embryo in an in vivo setting, to sequence the tissue-specific transcriptomes. We generate dedicated small and total RNA-seq libraries for neuroblasts, neurons and glia cells at an early (6–8 h after egg laying) and late (18–22 h after egg laying) developmental stage. This strategy allows us to directly compare the transcriptomes of these cell types and investigate the potential functional roles of individual microRNAs with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution, which is beyond the capabilities of existing in-situ hybridization studies. In total, we identify 74 microRNAs that are significantly differentially expressed between the three cell types and the two developmental stages. Overall design: In total, 20 smallRNA-seq libraries are made from the marker-positive and marker-negative FACS fractions using the markers repo and elav at 6-8h and 18-22 as well as prospero at 6-8h; all in biological duplicates.