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Research Tool Targets microRNA Expression in Zebrafish New
Rochelle, NY, March 17, 2011-A new research tool for studying
microRNA expression in zebrafish will help researchers study the
effects of miRNA on the early development of this model organism
and better understand developmental and disease mechanisms in
humans, as described in Zebrafish, a peer-reviewed journal
published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available
free online ahead of print. Researchers from University of
Oregon (Eugene) have developed a novel, cost-effective method
for measuring the expression of microRNAs (miRNA) in specific
tissues in developing zebrafish embryos. miRNAs play an
important role in regulating embryonic development. They are
difficult to detect because they are very short strands of
oligonucleotide and are often present in cells at low levels.
Xinjun He, Yi-Lin Yan, April DeLaurier, and John Postlethwait
describe the efficient technique they devised usi