Song exposure regulates known and novel microRNAs in the zebra finch auditory forebrain.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In an important model for neuroscience, songbirds learn to discriminate songs they hear during tape-recorded playbacks, as demonstrated by song-specific habituation of both behavioral and neurogenomic responses in the auditory forebrain. We hypothesized that microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) may participate in the changing pattern of gene expression induced by song exposure. To test this, we used massively parallel Illumina sequencing to analyse small RNAs from auditory forebrain of adult zebra finches exposed to tape-recorded birdsong or silence.

Results

In the auditory forebrain, we identified 121 known miRNAs conserved in other vertebrates. We also identified 34 novel miRNAs that do not align to human or chicken genomes. Five conserved miRNAs showed significant and co

SUBMITTER: Gunaratne PH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3118218 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature