Abstract: Next-generation sequencing in combination with quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed a
dynamic miRNA signature in the interdigital mesoderm of the chick embryonic hinlimb in the course of
interdigit remodelling. During this period, 612 previously known chicken miRNAs (gga-miRNAs) and 401 nonidentified
sequences were expressed in the interdigital mesoderm. Thirty-six microRNAs, represented by more
than 750 reads per million, displayed differential expression between stages HH29 (6 id) and HH32 (7.5 id),
which correspond to the onset and the peak of interdigital cell death. Twenty miRNAs were upregulated by at
least 1.5-fold, and sixteen were downregulated by at least 0.5-fold. Upregulated miRNAs included miRNAs with
recognized proapoptotic functions in other systems (miR-181 family, miR-451 and miR-148a), miRNAs associated
with inflammation and cell senescence (miR-21 and miR-146) and miRNAs able to induce changes in the
extracellular matrix (miR-30c). In contrast, miRNAs with known antiapoptotic effects in other systems, such as
miR-222 and miR-205, became downregulated. In addition, miR-92, an important positive regulator of cell
proliferation, was also downregulated. Together, these findings indicate a role for miRNAs in the control of
tissue regression and cell death in a characteristic morphogenetic embryonic process based on massive
apoptosis.
Otras publicaciones de la misma revista o congreso con autores/as de la Universidad de Cantabria