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Zhe Q, Yiu WC, Yip HY, Nong W, Yu CWC, Lee IHT, Wong AYP, Wong NWY, Cheung FKM, Chan TF, Lau KF, Zhong S, Chu KH, Tobe SS, Ferrier DEK, Bendena WG, Hui JHL. Micro-RNA Clusters Integrate Evolutionary Constraints on Expression and Target Affinities: The miR-6/5/4/286/3/309 Cluster in Drosophila. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 37:2955-2965. [PMID: 32521021 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A striking feature of micro-RNAs is that they are often clustered in the genomes of animals. The functional and evolutionary consequences of this clustering remain obscure. Here, we investigated a micro-RNA cluster miR-6/5/4/286/3/309 that is conserved across drosophilid lineages. Small RNA sequencing revealed expression of this micro-RNA cluster in Drosophila melanogaster leg discs, and conditional overexpression of the whole cluster resulted in leg appendage shortening. Transgenic overexpression lines expressing different combinations of micro-RNA cluster members were also constructed. Expression of individual micro-RNAs from the cluster resulted in a normal wild-type phenotype, but either the expression of several ancient micro-RNAs together (miR-5/4/286/3/309) or more recently evolved clustered micro-RNAs (miR-6-1/2/3) can recapitulate the phenotypes generated by the whole-cluster overexpression. Screening of transgenic fly lines revealed downregulation of leg-patterning gene cassettes in generation of the leg-shortening phenotype. Furthermore, cell transfection with different combinations of micro-RNA cluster members revealed a suite of downstream genes targeted by all cluster members, as well as complements of targets that are unique for distinct micro-RNAs. Considered together, the micro-RNA targets and the evolutionary ages of each micro-RNA in the cluster demonstrate the importance of micro-RNA clustering, where new members can reinforce and modify the selection forces on both the cluster regulation and the gene regulatory network of existing micro-RNAs. Key words: micro-RNA, cluster, evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qu Zhe
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Wing Chung Yiu
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Ho Yin Yip
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Wenyan Nong
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Clare W C Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Ivy H T Lee
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Annette Y P Wong
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Nicola W Y Wong
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Fiona K M Cheung
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Ting Fung Chan
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Kwok Fai Lau
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Silin Zhong
- School of Life Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Ka Hou Chu
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
| | - Stephen S Tobe
- Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Canada
| | | | | | - Jerome H L Hui
- School of Life Sciences, Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
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Gonçalves O, Freitas R, Ferreira P, Araújo M, Zhang G, Mazan S, Cohn MJ, Castro LFC, Wilson JM. Molecular ontogeny of the stomach in the catshark Scyliorhinus canicula. Sci Rep 2019; 9:586. [PMID: 30679499 PMCID: PMC6346038 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36413-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The origin of extracellular digestion in metazoans was accompanied by structural and physiological alterations of the gut. These adaptations culminated in the differentiation of a novel digestive structure in jawed vertebrates, the stomach. Specific endoderm/mesenchyme signalling is required for stomach differentiation, involving the growth and transcription factors: 1) Shh and Bmp4, required for stomach outgrowth; 2) Barx1, Sfrps and Sox2, required for gastric epithelium development and 3) Cdx1 and Cdx2, involved in intestinal versus gastric identity. Thus, modulation of endoderm/mesenchyme signalling emerges as a plausible mechanism linked to the origin of the stomach. In order to gain insight into the ancient mechanisms capable of generating this structure in jawed vertebrates, we characterised the development of the gut in the catshark Scyliorhinus canicula. As chondrichthyans, these animals retained plesiomorphic features of jawed vertebrates, including a well-differentiated stomach. We identified a clear molecular regionalization of their embryonic gut, characterised by the expression of barx1 and sox2 in the prospective stomach region and expression of cdx1 and cdx2 in the prospective intestine. Furthermore, we show that gastric gland development occurs close to hatching, accompanied by the onset of gastric proton pump activity. Our findings favour a scenario in which the developmental mechanisms involved in the origin of the stomach were present in the common ancestor of chondrichthyans and osteichthyans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odete Gonçalves
- CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Univ. Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Univ. Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Renata Freitas
- I3S- Institute for Innovation and Health Research, Univ. Porto, Porto, Portugal. .,IBMC- Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, Univ. Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Patrícia Ferreira
- CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Univ. Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Univ. Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Mafalda Araújo
- I3S- Institute for Innovation and Health Research, Univ. Porto, Porto, Portugal.,IBMC- Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, Univ. Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - GuangJun Zhang
- Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Purdue Univ., Lafayette, USA.,Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue Univ., Lafayette, USA.,Purdue Univ. Center for Cancer, Purdue Univ., Lafayette, USA.,Purdue Institute for Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Purdue Univ., Lafayette, USA
| | - Sylvie Mazan
- CNRS, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris, Observatoire Océanologique, Banyuls, France
| | - Martin J Cohn
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, UF Genetics Institute, Univ. Florida, Florida, USA.,Department of Biology, UF Genetics Institute, Univ. Florida, Florida, USA.,Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UF Genetics Institute, Univ. Florida, Florida, USA
| | - L Filipe C Castro
- CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Univ. Porto, Porto, Portugal. .,Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Univ. Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Jonathan M Wilson
- CIIMAR - Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, Univ. Porto, Porto, Portugal. .,Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier Univ., Waterloo, Canada.
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