ABSTRACT

The circadian clock is a rhythmic oscillator driving various physiological and behavioral processes that adapt to daily environmental changes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that play an important role in post-transcriptional regulation. Although recent work has demonstrated that miRNAs are involved in development and disease, their function in the adult circadian locomotor rhythm still needs to be extensively characterized. In this study, we identified the miR-263a as an important regulator of Drosophila circadian locomotor rhythm, with miR-263a expression in LNv clock neurons. The overexpression of miR-263a in clock neurons lengthens the circadian period, while its mutant Bereft²⁴ shortens the circadian period. In addition, downregulation of miR-263a also dramatically attenuates the morning activity peak as well as circadian rhythm robustness. Moreover, slo and homer are identified as the potential targets of the miR-263a. Together, these results establish that the miR-263a is an important regulator of circadian locomotor rhythm.

摘要

生物钟是一种有节奏的振荡器，驱动着适应日常环境变化的各种生理和行为过程。MicroRNAs (miRNAs) 是一类在转录后调控中发挥重要作用的小型非编码 RNA。尽管最近的工作表明 miRNA 参与发育和疾病，但它们在成人昼夜运动节律中的功能仍需要广泛表征。在这项研究中，我们将miR-263a鉴定为果蝇昼夜运动节律的重要调节因子， miR-263a在 LNv 时钟神经元中表达。时钟神经元中miR-263a的过表达延长了昼夜节律，而其突变体Bereft ²⁴缩短昼夜节律。此外，miR-263a的下调也显着减弱了早晨的活动峰值以及昼夜节律的稳健性。此外，slo和homer被确定为miR-263a的潜在目标。总之，这些结果表明miR-263a是昼夜运动节律的重要调节剂。