The schizophrenia risk gene MIR137 acts as a hippocampal gene network node orchestrating the expression of genes relevant to nervous system development and function.

ABSTRACT: MicroRNAs (miRs) are small regulatory molecules, which orchestrate neuronal development and plasticity through modulation of complex gene networks. MicroRNA-137 (miR-137) is a brain-enriched RNA with a critical role in regulating brain development and in mediating synaptic plasticity. Importantly, mutations in this miR are associated with the pathoetiology of schizophrenia (SZ), and there is a widespread assumption that disruptions in miR-137 expression lead to aberrant expression of gene regulatory networks associated with SZ. To systematically identify the mRNA targets for this miR, we performed miR-137 gain- and loss-of-function experiments in primary rat hippocampal neurons and profiled differentially expressed mRNAs through next-generation sequencing. We identified 500 genes that were

SUBMITTER: Olde Loohuis NF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5002268 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature