Sammendrag
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a family of short regulatory non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate target mRNAs by binding to the 3′ untranslated region (UTR), thus reducing mRNA stability. They are involved in most physiological processes, including muscle development but the integrated role of miRNAs in phenotypic plasticity remains largely unknown.
Here we describe the effects of incubation temperature on the growth and miRNA profile of the flatfish Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis), which is a promising species for marine aquaculture in Southern Europe. Embryos and larvae of sole were incubated at two different temperatures (15 ºC or 21 ºC), which resulted in a significant difference on the larvae weight at 30DAH. In a preliminary analysis, we have identified 121 different miRNAs in Senegalese sole from a total number of 662,709 SOLiD reads. Most miRNAs corresponded to a relatively low number of reads in all samples, in agreement with previous studies showing that miRNA patterns become more complex throughout development. There were clear differences in the number of reads for some miRNAs between temperatures, namely the miRNAs belonging to the 430 family. This family has been previously implied in early development in other fish species and it is known that miR-430 accelerates the deadenylation and clearance of several hundred maternal transcripts during zygotic stages. We found a markedly decrease in the number of reads after hatching in miR-430a and miR-430d. Also, the miR-130 family, which has been shown to be involved in the proliferation of various cell types, showed a dynamic profile during development, and a marked difference between incubation temperatures.
Our study indicates a clear effect of temperature on miRNA expression during Senegalese sole development, which provides new insights into a better understanding of muscle development and growth plasticity in this species.
Acknowledgement: C. Campos is financed by a scholarship from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal (ref. SFRH/BD/43633/2008). J.M.O. Fernandes acknowledges the support provided by the Research Council of Norway (ref. 190350).
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