Investigation on the role of miRNAs and target genes in the differential ability of regeneration in model vertebrates

• Grant number: 23/06057-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2023
• End date: June 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Animal Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Danillo Pinhal
• Grantee: Victor Garcez Batista
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Over the lifetime of organisms, cells in long-lasting tissues, such as the brain, heart, skeletal muscles and thymus, are inevitably lost due to the natural aging process and tissue damage, since the regenerative capacity is limited and variable between different organisms. In view of this, animal models have been used in translational research to look for possible solutions for tissue regeneration studies, with possible applications for humans. It is known that evolutionarily conserved genes and small non-coding RNAs (microRNAs) are implicated in the regeneration of limbs or fins. This suggests an innate ability to regenerate lost tissue in most animals and that differences in regenerative capacities are not related to the presence or absence of regeneration genes, but to the regulatory mechanisms that control the activation of these genes after injury. In this context, zebrafish and pirambóia are important model vertebrates for the study of regeneration, with the ability to recover damaged structures. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the post transcriptional gene regulation exerted by microRNAs during tissue repair in these models, in order to better describe the evolutionarily conserved pathways of regeneration and justify the variability of the differential regenerative potential between species.