Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA; Genetics Program, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11790, USA.
Neuron. 2012 Jan 12;73(1):35-48. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2011.11.010.
MicroRNAs (miRNA) are implicated in brain development and function but the underlying mechanisms have been difficult to study in part due to the cellular heterogeneity in neural circuits. To systematically analyze miRNA expression in neurons, we have established a miRNA tagging and affinity-purification (miRAP) method that is targeted to cell types through the Cre-loxP binary system in mice. Our studies of the neocortex and cerebellum reveal the expression of a large fraction of known miRNAs with distinct profiles in glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons and subtypes of GABAergic neurons. We further detected putative novel miRNAs, tissue or cell type-specific strand selection of miRNAs, and miRNA editing. Our method thus will facilitate a systematic analysis of miRNA expression and regulation in specific neuron types in the context of neuronal development, physiology, plasticity, pathology, and disease models, and is generally applicable to other cell types and tissues.
MicroRNAs (miRNA) 参与脑发育和功能，但由于神经回路中的细胞异质性，其潜在机制一直难以研究。为了系统地分析神经元中的 miRNA 表达，我们建立了一种 miRNA 标记和亲和纯化 (miRAP) 方法，该方法通过小鼠中的 Cre-loxP 双元系统靶向细胞类型。我们对大脑皮层和小脑的研究揭示了大量已知 miRNA 的表达，这些 miRNA 在谷氨酸能和 GABA 能神经元以及 GABA 能神经元的亚型中具有不同的特征。我们进一步检测了潜在的新 miRNA、miRNA 的组织或细胞类型特异性链选择以及 miRNA 编辑。因此，我们的方法将有助于在神经元发育、生理学、可塑性、病理学和疾病模型的背景下，对特定神经元类型中的 miRNA 表达和调控进行系统分析，并且通常适用于其他细胞类型和组织。
