Analysis of miRNA transcriptome in the cardiac muscle of Nile Tilapia fish using RNA-seq and comparative genomics

• Grant number: 13/03644-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2013
• End date: December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Danillo Pinhal
• Grantee: Arthur Casulli de Oliveira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 14/08420-1 - Analysis of highly expressed miRNAs in the heart of Nile Tilapia using bioinformatics, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs (~ 22 nucleotides) that regulate post-transcriptionally the expression of target RNAs thus controlling protein production. In vertebrates, the involvement of miRNAs in controlling the growth, development, stress response and regeneration, among other essential processes have been demonstrated in several organs, including the heart. Moreover, the observed association between miRNAs abundance and diversity and the increased complexity of the taxonomic group became miRNAs relevant elements both for understanding the evolution of genes and regulatory mechanisms, through intraspecific genomic analyzes, as well as phylogenetic markers in comparative genomic investigations. In fish, the largest group of living vertebrates, among the ~ 30,000 known species only a small fraction was investigated regarding the miRNAs composition and expression profiles. In this project we propose the use of high-performance sequencing ("deep sequencing" or RNA-seq) analysis combined with comparative genomics aiming to determine the overall composition and genomic research organization, diversity and evolutionary dynamics of families of miRNAs expressed in the tissue heart, using as a model biological Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), which has complete genome sequenced. From these experiments, it will be possible to identify combinations of miRNAs and target mRNAs and link them to the evolution of genomes and to the regulation of specific biological processes. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BOVOLENTA, LUIZ AUGUSTO; PINHAL, DANILLO; ACENCIO, MARCIO LUIS; DE OLIVEIRA, ARTHUR CASULLI; MOXON, SIMON; MARTINS, CESAR; LEMKE, NEY. miRTil: An Extensive Repository for Nile Tilapia microRNA Next Generation Sequencing Data. CELLS, v. 9, n. 8, AUG 2020. (10/20684-3, 12/13450-1, 12/15589-7, 14/08420-1, 15/19176-7, 11/06465-0, 13/03644-6)