Discovery notes

Synaptic enrichment of microRNAs in adult mouse forebrain is related to structural features of their precursors

Neil R Smalheiser

Department of Psychiatry and Psychiatric Institute, MC912, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1601 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA

author email corresponding author email

Biology Direct 2008, 3:44doi:10.1186/1745-6150-3-44

Published:	29 October 2008

Abstract

Within mouse forebrain, a subset of microRNAs are significantly enriched in synaptoneurosomes (a synaptic fraction containing pinched-off dendritic spines) and a subset are significantly depleted relative to total forebrain homogenate. Here I show that, as a group, the pre-miR hairpin precursors of synaptically enriched microRNAs exhibit significantly different structural features than those that are non-enriched or depleted. Precursors of synaptically enriched microRNAs tend to have a) shorter uninterrupted double-stranded stem segments, and b) more symmetrical bulges containing a single nucleotide on each side. These structural differences may provide a basis for the differential binding of proteins that mediate dendritic transport of pre-miRs, or that prevent pre-miRs from being prematurely processed into mature miRNAs during the transport process.

Reviewers

This article was reviewed by I. King Jordan and Jerzy Jurka.