Yoko Kawase-Koga
Department School of Medicine(Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital), School of Medicine Position Professor and Division head |
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Article types | Original article |
Language | English |
Peer review | Peer reviewed |
Title | Timing specific requirement of microRNA function is essential for embryonic and postnatal hippocampal development. |
Journal | Formal name:PloS one Abbreviation:PLoS One ISSN code:19326203/19326203 |
Domestic / Foregin | Foregin |
Volume, Issue, Page | 6(10),pp.e26000 |
Author and coauthor | Li Qingsong, Bian Shan, Hong Janet, Kawase-Koga Yoko, Zhu Edwin, Zheng Yongri, Yang Lizhuang, Sun Tao |
Publication date | 2011 |
Summary | The adult hippocampus consists of the dentate gyrus (DG) and the CA1, CA2 and CA3 regions and is essential for learning and memory functions. During embryonic development, hippocampal neurons are derived from hippocampal neuroepithelial cells and dentate granular progenitors. The molecular mechanisms that control hippocampal progenitor proliferation and differentiation are not well understood. Here we show that noncoding microRNAs (miRNAs) are essential for early hippocampal development in mice. Conditionally ablating the RNAase III enzyme Dicer at different embryonic time points utilizing three Cre mouse lines causes abnormal hippocampal morphology and affects the number of hippocampal progenitors due to altered proliferation and increased apoptosis. Lack of miRNAs at earlier stages causes early differentiation of hippocampal neurons, in particular in the CA1 and DG regions. Lack of miRNAs at a later stage specifically affects neuronal production in the CA3 region. Our results reveal a timing requirement of miRNAs for the formation of specific hippocampal regions, with the CA1 and DG developmentally hindered by an early loss of miRNAs and the CA3 region to a late loss of miRNAs. Collectively, our studies indicate the importance of the Dicer-mediated miRNA pathway in hippocampal development and functions. |
DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0026000 |
PMID | 21991391 |