Introduction:
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a novel class of small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and play a critical role in many important biological processes in animals including humans. Most miRNAs are conserved between humans and mice, which makes it possible to analyze their expression patterns with a set of selected array probes. The maps of expression of selected miRNAs from different species, organs/tissues, or cell lines can be tentatively termed "microRNA atlas". Similarly in plants, most miRNAs so far identified are very conserved between species although the expression patterns of these conserved miRNAs are different between plant species, organs/tissues, or cell lines.
In mammals, miRNA expression atlas as a powerful resource has recently been drawn based on small RNA library sequencing (Cell, Vol 129, 1410-1414, 29 June 2007). With different samples to be studied, the miRNA atlas will be continuiously enlarged. To simplify the mapping process and to reduce the cost of drafting a miRNA atlas for specific species, organs, tissues, or cell types, we employed our recently established simple array platform (RNA, Vol 13, 1803-1822, 3 August 2007) to draft a framework of miRNA atlas for humans/mice and plants as demonstrated below. The miRNA atlas is based on the endogenous miRNAs with no amplification, truely reflecting the in vivo levels and changes of miRNAs. We believe that this simple miRNA atlas will be a useful guider to the study of miRNAs and their functions in plants and animals.
With a single miRNA atlas for your specific, normal organs/tissues/cells, you may start to study roles of miRNAs without further array for more samples of the same materials from different resources by probing those miRNAs highlighted on the miRNA atlas with traditional Northern blot analysis. For example, totally 38 miRNAs were highlighted in liver organ, miR122a is highly abundant, no miR124a that is highly expressed in central nerve system was detectable in liver. Therefore, you could synthesize 38 probes specifically for liver expressed miRNAs without need of addressing other miRNAs, such as miR124a, to study the functions of the 38 miRNAs, including the highly expressed miR122a, in liver, simply using the traditional Northern blot analysis.
(To draw a miRNA atlas for your species, please contact us by email: gtang1@mtu.edu)
A. Mouse miRNA atlas:
microRNA atlas of a few mouse tissues
To
know what are those microRNAs on the maps, point your mouse to any
miRNA spot to display the miRNA name; click the spot and you will be
linked out to specific miRNA in miRBase to find the functions of the
miRNA.
B. Plant miRNA atlas
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microRNA atlas of wheat germ |
microRNA atlas of Arabidopsis C24
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To
know what are those wheat germ or Arabidopsis C24 microRNAs on the maps,
point your mouse to any miRNA spot to display the miRNA name; click the
spot and you will be linked out to specific miRNA in miRBase to find
the functions of the miRNA. |
REFERENCES:
- Haley, B. Tang, G. and Zamore P.D. (2003) In Vitro Analysis of RNA interference in Drosophilamelanogaster.Methods30:330-336
- Tang, G., B.J. Reinhart, D.P. Bartel, P.D. Zamore. (2003). A biochemical framework for RNA silencing in plants. Genes Dev 17: 49-63
- Reinhart, B.J., Mallory, A.C., Rhoades M.W.,Tang, G., Zamore,
P.D., Barton, M.K., and Bartel, D.P. (2004). MicroRNA control of
PHABULOSA during leaf development: importance of pairing to the miRNA
5' region .EMBO J. 23: 3356-3364.
- Tang, G.
and Zamore, P.D.(2004) Biochemical dissection of RNA silencing in
plants, "Methods in Molecular Biology; mRNA Processing and Metabolism-
Methods and Protocols" edited by Daniel R. Schoenberg , Ohio State
University, Clumbus, OH, USA. HUMANA PRESS ,Vol. 257: 223-243.
- Tang, G. (2005) siRNA and miRNA: an insight into RISCs. Trends in Biochemical Sciences30: 106-114.
- Xiang, Y. and Tang, G. (2006) RISC Biology, “microRNA: Biology, Function and Expression” edited by Clarke, N.J and Sanseau, P, DNA Press.
- Wang-Xia Wang, Xun Zhuang, Venugopal Mendu, Bobby Gaffney, Xiaoqing Tang, Ben Willcut, Randy Dinkins, and Guiliang Tang (2007)
Monitoring global microRNA expression in plant development and in
response to abiotic stresses with a simple filter array technology. (Submitted)
- Xiaoqing Tang, Jozsef Gal, Xun Zhuang, Wangxia Wang, Haining Zhu, and Guiliang Tang (2007) A simple array platform for microRNA analysis and its application in mouse tissues. RNA 13: 1803-1822 (Supplementary data: Fig-S1-5 and TableS1-3)
Copyright (c) 2012
Contact Dr. Guiliang Tang with any
questions or comments.
Web design by Guiliang Tang
Updated
9/01/06
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