PgmNr Z6101: The Functional Studies of miR-7132 on the Erythropoiesis.

Authors:
Qianghua Xu 1,2,3,4 ; Xingxing Hu 1


Institutes
1) College of Marine Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China,201306; 2) Key Laboratory of Sustainable Exploitation of Ocean Fisheries Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China, 201306; 3) National Distant-water Fisheries Engineering Research Center, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China, 201306; 4) Collaborative Innovation Center for Distant-water Fisheries, Shanghai, China, 201306.


Abstract:

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs, playing roles at post-transcriptional level by binding the 3’UTR of the target gene. Some studies indicated that microRNAs play important roles in the process of erythropoiesis. Chionodraco hamatus is a white-blooded Antarctic icefish, the only known vertebrate with a very few non-functional erythrocytes. Previous studies showed that highly upregulated expression of about one hundred microRNAs in the C. hamatus head kidney might inhibit the erythropoiesis of the Antarctic icefish. In our study, by using zebrafish microinjection technique, dual-luciferase reporter, and target prediction methods, we studied the functions of the miR-7132 in the process of erythropoiesis, which was highly expressed in the head kidney of the icefish. Results showed that, after being micro-injected with miR-7132, zebrafish embryos showed dramatic reduced expression level of hemoglobin by o-dianisidine staining, which indicated that overexpression of miR-7132 repressed the erythropoiesis process in zebrafish embryos. The dual-luciferase vector containing the 3’UTR of ALAS2, the limited enzyme in the process of hemoglobin production, was constructed and co-transfected with miR-7132, and the activity of luciferase was detected. The expression vector containing the GFP fluorescent protein was constructed. Zebrafish embryos were then micro-injected with the mixture including miR-7132 and the GFP plasmid. The expression of GFP protein was then detected by western blot analysis. Result showed that miR-7132 significantly reduced the relative activity of luciferase in 293T cells, The GFP fluorescent intensity was significantly decreased when injected with miR-7132. The study indicated that miR-7132 regulated erythropoiesis in the Antarctic icefish by repressing the expression of ALAS2.