Expression of genes evolved with miRNA stability during the development of rat spinal cord

• Grant number: 11/15327-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2012
• End date: September 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Hiroaki Kihara
• Grantee: Vivian Roca Schwendler Weber
• Host Institution: Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 08/55210-1 - Cell coupling in the arc of life: development, adaptation and degeneration of the nervous system, AP.JP

Abstract

The precise regulation of proteome is fundamental to maintenance of cellular processes. In recent years the discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) has revealed a new mechanism to control protein translation. MiRNAs are small molecules (18-25 nucleotides) single-stranded and in its mature form. MiRNAs act by preventing the mRNA is translated, either by promoting its degradation, sometimes blocking the translation. The miRNAs is growing interest in various fundamental processes, such as development. Recent studies demonstrated that miRNAs are highly expressed in the central nervous system (CNS), including brain and spinal cord, and act on the differentiation of specific cells during development. However, little is known about the components that regulate the stability of individual miRNAs.The role of miRNAs on target genes follows a scheme probabilistic, not deterministic. The miRNAs levels depend on the balance of the biosynthesis and degradation. Although the processes related to the genesis of miRNAs are being studied, little attention has been paid to processes of degradation and stability of miRNAs.The spinal cord is a structure of the CNS known to be a complex system of neurons that receives and sends information autonomic, sensory and motor and therefore widely used in morphogenetic studies. In fact the spinal cord has been used as a model for studying various physiological aspects of these systems, including development.This project aims to evaluate the behavior of genes involved in degradation (XRN2) and stability (PAPD4) of miRNAs during development in the rat spinal cord. For this, we use combined techniques, such as real time PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry.This master's project is linked to the Young Researcher Project "Coupling in Arc of Life: Development, Adaptation and Degeneration of the Nervous System", process 2008/55210-1. (AU)