Upreti Anil, Hoang Thanh V, Li Minghua, Tangeman Jared A, Dierker David S, Wagner Brad D, Tsonis Panagiotis A, Liang Chun, Lachke Salil A, Robinson Michael L
Cell, Molecular and Structural Biology Program, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
Department of Biology and Center for Visual Sciences, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA.
bioRxiv. 2024 Jan 30:2024.01.29.577818. doi: 10.1101/2024.01.29.577818.
Despite strong evidence demonstrating that normal lens development requires regulation governed by miRNAs, the functional role of specific miRNAs in mammalian lens development remains largely unexplored.
A comprehensive analysis of miRNA transcripts in the newborn mouse lens, exploring both differential expression between lens epithelial cells and lens fiber cells and overall miRNA abundance was conducted by miRNA-seq. Mouse lenses lacking each of three abundantly expressed lens miRNAs: miR-184, miR-26 and miR-1 were analyzed to explore the role of these miRNAs in lens development.
Mice lacking all three copies of () developed postnatal cataracts as early as 4-6 weeks of age. RNA-seq analysis of neonatal lenses from mice exhibited abnormal reduced expression of a cohort of genes found to be lens-enriched and linked to cataract (, , , and numerous crystallin genes), and abnormal elevated expression of genes related to neural development ( ), inflammation (, the complement pathway, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition ().
miR-1, miR-184 and miR-26 are each dispensable for normal embryonic lens development. However, loss of miR-26 causes lens transcriptome changes and drives cataract formation.
尽管有强有力的证据表明正常晶状体发育需要受微小RNA(miRNA)调控,但特定miRNA在哺乳动物晶状体发育中的功能作用在很大程度上仍未被探索。
通过miRNA测序对新生小鼠晶状体中的miRNA转录本进行全面分析,探究晶状体上皮细胞和晶状体纤维细胞之间的差异表达以及整体miRNA丰度。对缺乏三种高表达晶状体miRNA(miR - 184、miR - 26和miR - 1)中每一种的小鼠晶状体进行分析,以探索这些miRNA在晶状体发育中的作用。
缺乏所有三个拷贝()的小鼠早在4 - 6周龄时就出现了产后白内障。对来自小鼠的新生晶状体进行RNA测序分析显示,一组在晶状体中富集且与白内障相关的基因(,,,和众多晶状体蛋白基因)表达异常降低,而与神经发育()、炎症(,补体途径)以及上皮 - 间充质转化()相关的基因表达异常升高。
miR - 1、miR - 184和miR - 26对正常胚胎晶状体发育均非必需。然而,miR - 26的缺失会导致晶状体转录组变化并引发白内障形成。