MicroRNA expression in skeletal muscle of pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) during growth.

• Grant number: 12/00476-2
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Biochemistry - Molecular Biology
• Principal researcher: Maeli Dal Pai
• Grantee: Bruno Oliveira da Silva Duran
• Home Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) has excellent animal husbandry attributes, such as fast growth, one of the factors that favor the success of his farming. Muscle growth in this species occurs by hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia, processes regulated by several signaling molecules, including the myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs). In mammals, it has been suggested that a class of small nuclear RNAs, known as microRNAs, are involved in the control of muscle phenotype by regulating the expression of target genes, and also its possible their involvement in the control of MRFs expression during growth. The aim of this study is to evaluate the expression of MRFs MyoD and myogenin and muscle-specific microRNAs involved in muscle growth. Three stages of development of pacu (larval, juvenile and adult) will be evaluated. The animals will be maintained throughout the experiment in water tanks of 0,5 m3 with a recirculation system. For the analysis will be sampled 8-10 fishes in each developmental period studied. Fragments of dorsal muscle, near the lateral line, will be removed. The muscle samples will be frozen in liquid nitrogen and transverse sections will be stained with hematoxylin-eosin, to evaluated morphology and morphometry. Gene expression of MyoD, myogenin, and muscle-specific microRNAs will be evaluated by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction after Reverse Transcription (RT-qPCR). The data will be subjected to appropriate statistical analysis.