Dataset Information

Impact of age-associated increase in 2'-O-methylation of miRNAs on aging and neurodegeneration in Drosophila.

ABSTRACT: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 20- to ?24-nucleotide (nt) small RNAs that impact a variety of biological processes, from development to age-associated events. To study the role of miRNAs in aging, studies have profiled the levels of miRNAs with time. However, evidence suggests that miRNAs show heterogeneity in length and sequence in different biological contexts. Here, by examining the expression pattern of miRNAs by Northern blot analysis, we found that Drosophila miRNAs show distinct isoform pattern changes with age. Surprisingly, an increase of some miRNAs reflects increased 2'-O-methylation of select isoforms. Small RNA deep sequencing revealed a global increase of miRNAs loaded into Ago2, but not into Ago1, with age. Our data suggest increased loading of miRNAs into Ago2, but not Ago1, with age, indicating a mechanism for differential loading of miRNAs with age between Ago1 and Ago2. Mutations in Hen1 and Ago2, which lack 2'-O-methylation of miRNAs, result in accelerated neurodegeneration and shorter life span, suggesting a potential impact of the age-associated increase of 2'-O-methylation of small RNAs on age-associated processes. Our study highlights that miRNA 2'-O-methylation at the 3' end is modulated by differential partitioning of miRNAs between Ago1 and Ago2 with age and that this process, along with other functions of Ago2, might impact age-associated events in Drosophila.

SUBMITTER: Abe M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3894412 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Impact of age-associated increase in 2'-O-methylation of miRNAs on aging and neurodegeneration in Drosophila.

Abe Masashi M Naqvi Ammar A Hendriks Gert-Jan GJ Feltzin Virzhiniya V Zhu Yongqing Y Grigoriev Andrey A Bonini Nancy M NM

Genes & development 20140101 1

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 20- to ∼24-nucleotide (nt) small RNAs that impact a variety of biological processes, from development to age-associated events. To study the role of miRNAs in aging, studies have profiled the levels of miRNAs with time. However, evidence suggests that miRNAs show heterogeneity in length and sequence in different biological contexts. Here, by examining the expression pattern of miRNAs by Northern blot analysis, we found that Drosophila miRNAs show distinct isoform pattern c ...[more]

PMID: 24395246

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Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE24992: Drosophila brain microRNA expression with age: miRNA profiling GSE25007: Drosophila brain gene expression with age: mRNA profiling GSE25008: Drosophila brain gene expression between wildtype and miR-34 null flies Refer to individual Series. Aging is the most prominent risk factor for human neurodegenerative disease, but underlying mechanisms that connect two processes are less well characterized. With age, the brain undergoes functional decline and perhaps degeneration. Such decline may not just contribute to normal aging, but also enhance susceptibility to and progression of age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, defining intrinsic factors and pathways that underline the normal integrity of the adult nervous system may lead to insights that potentially link aging and neurodegeneration. Here, we report a highly conserved microRNA (miRNA), miR-34, as a modulator of aging and neurodegeneration. Using Drosophila, we show that fly miR-34 expression is brain-enriched and strikingly upregulated with age. Functional studies reveal that, whereas animals without miR-34 are normal as young adults, upon aging, they gradually show late-onset deficits characteristic of accelerated brain aging; these include a transcriptional signature of aged animals, coupled with rapid functional decline, loss of brain integrity, followed by a catastrophic decline in adult viability. Moreover, upregulation of miR-34 protects against neurodegeneration induced by pathogenic human polyglutamine (polyQ) disease protein. We next reveal a dramatic effect of miR-34 to silence the Eip74EF gene of steroid hormone pathways in the adult, which is crucial to maintain the normal aging. Collectively, these data define a miR-34-mediated mechanism that specifically affects long-term integrity of the adult nervous system. miR-34 function in Drosophila may thus present a link that functionally connects aging and neurodegeneration. Our studies implicate essential roles of miRNA- dependent pathways in maintenance of the adult brain, disease pathogenesis and healthy aging.

Dataset Information

Impact of age-associated increase in 2'-O-methylation of miRNAs on aging and neurodegeneration in Drosophila.

Publications

Impact of age-associated increase in 2'-O-methylation of miRNAs on aging and neurodegeneration in Drosophila.

Similar Datasets

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