PUBLICATION
Treatment with small interfering RNA affects the microRNA pathway and causes unspecific defects in zebrafish embryos
- Authors
- Zhao, X.F., Fjose, A., Larsen, N., Helvik, J.V., and Drivenes, O.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-080414-2
- Date
- 2008
- Source
- The FEBS journal 275(9): 2177-2184 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Drivenes, Oyvind, Fjose, Anders
- Keywords
- dicer, maternal mRNA, microRNA, RNA interference (RNAi), zebrafish development
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Embryo, Nonmammalian
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/physiology*
- MicroRNAs/metabolism*
- Microinjections
- RNA, Small Interfering/pharmacology*
- Zebrafish/embryology*
- Zebrafish/genetics*
- PubMed
- 18384379 Full text @ FEBS J.
Citation
Zhao, X.F., Fjose, A., Larsen, N., Helvik, J.V., and Drivenes, O. (2008) Treatment with small interfering RNA affects the microRNA pathway and causes unspecific defects in zebrafish embryos. The FEBS journal. 275(9):2177-2184.
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are generated from primary transcripts through sequential processing by two RNase III enzymes, Drosha and Dicer, in association with other proteins. This maturation is essential for their function as post-transcriptional regulators. Notably, Dicer is also a component of RNA-induced silencing complexes, which incorporate either miRNA or small interfering RNA (siRNA) as guides to target specific mRNAs. In zebrafish, processed miRNAs belonging to the miR-430 family have previously been shown to promote deadenylation and degradation of maternal mRNAs during early embryogenesis. We show that injection of one-cell-stage zebrafish embryos with siRNA causes a significant reduction in the endogenous levels of processed miR-430 and other miRNAs, leading to unspecific developmental defects. Coinjection of siRNA with preprocessed miR-430 efficiently rescued development. This indicates that the abnormalities generally observed in siRNA-treated zebrafish embryos could be due to inhibition of miR-430 processing and/or activity. Our results also suggest that the miRNA pathway in mammals, under some experimental or therapeutic conditions, may be affected by siRNA.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping