Regulation of miRNA biogenesis involved in neuronal differentiation (360G-Wellcome-096996_Z_11_Z)

Many cellular functions depend on tightly regulated expression of various proteins. Canonical control of the protein expression is associated with transcriptional regulation. However, only recently the small non-coding RNAs called microRNAs (miRNAs) were identified as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. In a typical manner miRNAs originate similarly to the coding RNAs and are processed in a multi-step maturation process. It has been shown that miRNAs are very important for proper functioning of all human tissues. Interestingly the human nervous system contains over 70% of all miRNAs. However, despite the important role of miRNAs, little is known about the mechanisms regulating their biogenesis. The current project is going to identify unknown factors involved in the regulation of selected miRNAs that have been shown to play important roles during neuronal development. RNA chromatography coupled with quantitative proteomics will be used to identify the putative regulators. These factors will be validated using RNA-immunopreciptiation followed by qRT-PCR assays and their functional