At head levels, neural crest (NC) multipotent stem cells are specified in the ectoderm territory located between the anterior neural plate ectoderm an…

A study in BMC Immunology reports that miR-892b is under-expressed in sepsis-induced myocardial dysfunction and protects heart muscle cells by downregulating CTNNB1.

Neural circuit development in the human cortex is considerably prolonged in comparison to non-human primates, a trait that contributes to the remarkable cognitive capacity of modern humans. Here, we explore the regulatory role of non-coding RNAs, which dramatically expanded during brain evolution, in synapse development of human induced pluripotent stem-cell derived neurons. We found that inhibition of a human-specific microRNA, miR-1229-3p, alters the trajectory of human neuronal maturation and enhances excitatory synaptic transmission. Transcriptome analysis following miR-1229 knockdown revealed a downregulation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encoded genes. We further show that miR-1229 regulates mitochondrial morphology, mtDNA abundance as well as mitophagy, and that stimulation of mitochondrial metabolism rescues decreased calcium buffering in miR-1229-3p depleted neurons. Accordingly, miR-1229 directly targets an entire network of genes involved in mitochondrial function and ER

Using published reports (Supplementary Table 1) of the miRs altered in atrial tissue or cells in AF, we identified, using in silico mirDIP analysis at https://ophid.utoronto.ca/mirDIP/, four miRs (hsa-miR-24-3p, -30d-5p, -31-5p and -34a-5p), which are strongly predicted to bind CTR mRNA (CALCR) 3′ UTR (Extended Data Fig. 1a). A reporter assay showed no binding between CALCR 3′ UTR and hsa-miR-24-3p, -30d-5p or -34a-5p in HEK293 cells co-transfected with pmiRGLO luciferase/Renilla-expressing plasmid containing full-length CALCR 3′ UTR and the respective miR mimic/inhibitor (versus mimic/inhibitor non-targeting negative controls (NCs)) (Extended Data Fig. 1b–h). By contrast, the reporter assay showed approximately 60% reduction of the luciferase/Renilla ratio (P < 0.0001) in cells transfected with miR-31-5p mimic (versus NC mimic) that was fully reversed by miR-31-5p inhibition, indicating that miR-31-5p binds the CALCR 3′ UTR (Fig. 1a–c). Although upregulation of miR-31-5p has been reported in human ACMs and noted to be relevant to electrical remodeling in AF17,18, its role in ACFs and its potential contributions to AF fibrogenesis is unknown. We found that, in patients (Supplementary Table 2) with persAF, compared to SR controls, ACFs from both right (RAA; P = 0.0038) and left (LAA; P = 0.008) atrial appendages had 2.7-fold and 2.5-fold...

The application of genome-wide CRISPR&#8211;Cas9 screening coupled with a fluorescent reporter to interrogate the microRNA pathway reveals that continual transient phosphorylation of Argonaute 2 is required to maintain the global efficiency of microRNA-mediated repression.

A study of 66 newborns found that microRNA alterations linked to neonatal encephalopathy remain detectable in whole blood for up to 48 hours after birth.

A study of 66 newborns found that microRNA alterations linked to neonatal encephalopathy remain detectable in whole blood for up to 48 hours after birth.

MicroRNA Detection Kit Market Is Projected To Grow a Valuation of USD 1000 Billion by 2035, Reaching at a CAGR of 9.3% During the Forecast Period 2026 - 2035

by Yan Zhang, Zhuang-Xin Ye, Qing-Lu Ma, Bi-Yun Wang, Ji-Chong Zhuo, Hai-Jian Huang, Chuan-Xi Zhang, Jian-Ping Chen, Jun-Min Li The small silencing RNA pathways are crucial post-transcriptional gene silencing mechanisms involved in antiviral defense, gene regulation, and transposon suppression. In insects, the three main pathways are the microRNA (miRNA), Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA), and small interfering RNA (siRNA) pathways. While these pathways are well-studied in model insects like fruit flies and mosquitoes (Order: Diptera), their functions in non-model insects remain largely unexplored. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive functional screening of core RNAi-related genes in a hemipteran insect, the small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus). Our results demonstrated that genes in the miRNA pathway (AGO1 and DCR1) and the piRNA pathway (Piwi and AGO3) are essential for the survival, development, and fecundity of L. striatellus, but they are not actively involved in the antiviral response. Unexpectedly, knocking down the key siRNA pathway gene DCR2 did not produce a detectable change in viral accumulation or the abundance of virus-derived small interfering RNAs. This finding suggests that substantial depletion of DCR2 does not detectably impair the measured antiviral siRNA responses in L. striatellus under our experimental conditions. A similar lack of detectable antiviral phenotypes following DCR2 knockdown was observed in three other representative hemipteran insects from different families/genera (Sogatella furcifera, Nilaparvata lugens, and Bemisia tabaci). Additionally, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of DCR2 resulted in embryonic lethality in homozygous mutant strains of L. striatellus, while heterozygous mutants showed significantly prolonged developmental duration. Functional RNAi-of-RNAi assays further demonstrated that DCR2 pre-knockdown did not detectably reduce silencing of a subsequently introduced dsRNA reporter in L. striatellus, and DCR2-heterozygous mutants with reduced DCR2 expression showed no change in viral accumulation. These results reveal an essential developmental role for DCR2 and indicate that partial DCR2 depletion does not measurably compromise antiviral immunity under the tested conditions. Collectively, our findings broaden our understanding of the organization and biological functions of small silencing RNA pathways in hemipteran insects.

Senescent cells accumulate with age to drive the onset and progression of age-related disease and loss of function. Over the past decade, a broad range of research and development efforts have emerged...

by Yan Zhang, Zhuang-Xin Ye, Qing-Lu Ma, Bi-Yun Wang, Ji-Chong Zhuo, Hai-Jian Huang, Chuan-Xi Zhang, Jian-Ping Chen, Jun-Min Li The small silencing RNA pathways are crucial post-transcriptional gene silencing mechanisms involved in antiviral defense, gene regulation, and transposon suppression. In insects, the three main pathways are the microRNA (miRNA), Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA), and small interfering RNA (siRNA) pathways. While these pathways are well-studied in model insects like fruit flies and mosquitoes (Order: Diptera), their functions in non-model insects remain largely unexplored. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive functional screening of core RNAi-related genes in a hemipteran insect, the small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus). Our results demonstrated that genes in the miRNA pathway (AGO1 and DCR1) and the piRNA pathway (Piwi and AGO3) are essential for the survival, development, and fecundity of L. striatellus, but they are not actively involved in the antiviral response. Unexpectedly, knocking down the key siRNA pathway gene DCR2 did not produce a detectable change in viral accumulation or the abundance of virus-derived small interfering RNAs. This finding suggests that substantial depletion of DCR2 does not detectably impair the measured antiviral siRNA responses in L. striatellus under our experimental conditions. A similar lack of detectable antiviral phenotypes following DCR2 knockdown was observed in three other representative hemipteran insects from different families/genera (Sogatella furcifera, Nilaparvata lugens, and Bemisia tabaci). Additionally, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of DCR2 resulted in embryonic lethality in homozygous mutant strains of L. striatellus, while heterozygous mutants showed significantly prolonged developmental duration. Functional RNAi-of-RNAi assays further demonstrated that DCR2 pre-knockdown did not detectably reduce silencing of a subsequently introduced dsRNA reporter in L. striatellus, and DCR2-heterozygous mutants with reduced DCR2 expression showed no change in viral accumulation. These results reveal an essential developmental role for DCR2 and indicate that partial DCR2 depletion does not measurably compromise antiviral immunity under the tested conditions. Collectively, our findings broaden our understanding of the organization and biological functions of small silencing RNA pathways in hemipteran insects.

A new AI-based tool identifies potential microRNA binding sites across circular RNA molecules, including regions conventional linear sequence analysis can miss, advancing research into gene regulation.

Researchers at Pusan National University have introduced circMAC, an AI tool designed to discover microRNA binding sites on circular RNAs, enhancing gene regulation studies.