Final Report Summary - NEUROMIR (microRNAs and Neurogenesis Control)
Interestingly, numerous microRNAs are expressed in a temporally and spatially restricted manner in the developing vertebrate central nervous system. However, so far only a few of them have been subjected to functional analysis, mostly by using in vitro culture systems. The NeuromiR project aimed to better understand the role of these molecules during the formation of the vertebrate central nervous system. As a model system we use the zebrafish embryo, which allows rapid and detailed in vivo analyses of microRNA function. We uncovered a crucial implication of a microRNA, miR-9, in balancing the production of neurons during embryonic development and deciphered its precise mechanism of action by identifying its mRNA targets. These advances in decrypting microRNA function are of crucial importance to assess their implication in disease formation and exploit their properties for therapeutic approaches.