PLoS ONE (Oct 2009)

MicroRNAs show mutually exclusive expression patterns in the brain of adult male rats.

  • Line Olsen,
  • Mikkel Klausen,
  • Lone Helboe,
  • Finn Cilius Nielsen,
  • Thomas Werge

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0007225
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. 10
p. e7225

Abstract

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BackgroundThe brain is a major site of microRNA (miRNA) gene expression, but the spatial expression patterns of miRNAs within the brain have not yet been fully covered.Methodology/principal findingsWe have characterized the regional expression profiles of miRNAs in five distinct regions of the adult rat brain: amygdala, cerebellum, hippocampus, hypothalamus and substantia nigra. Microarray profiling uncovered 48 miRNAs displaying more than three-fold enrichment between two or more brain regions. Notably, we found reciprocal expression profiles for a subset of the miRNAs predominantly found (> ten times) in either the cerebellum (miR-206 and miR-497) or the forebrain regions (miR-132, miR-212, miR-221 and miR-222).Conclusions/significanceThe results indicate that some miRNAs could be important for area-specific functions in the brain. Our data, combined with previous studies in mice, provides additional guidance for future investigations of miRNA functions in the brain.