Differential expression of microRNAs in the human fetal left and right cerebral cortex
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Differential expression of microRNAs in the human fetal left and right cerebral cortex Nan Miao1 · Xiaodong Lai2 · Zhiwei Zeng1 · Wenjie Cai3 · Wanhua Chen4 · Tao Sun1 Received: 24 February 2020 / Accepted: 2 August 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Human brain is anatomically and functionally asymmetric. How brain asymmetry is initiated and established during fetal development is poorly understood. Accumulating evidence has shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in brain development and function. In this study, we investigate miRNA expression profiles in left and right hemispheres of human fetal brains at 12 weeks post conception (PC), and identify 42 miRNAs showing differential expression between two hemispheres using Affymetrix microarray analyses. Target genes for left- and right-biased miRNAs are largely involved in developmental and functional regulations in the cortex such as axon guidance, GABAergic synapse and dopaminergic synapse pathways. Moreover, we find that predicted targets associated with canonical and non-canonical WNT signaling pathway show variations and differential expression between two hemispheres in response to left- and right-biased miRNAs. Our results highlight a potential role of miRNAs in regulating asymmetric development of human fetal brains. Keywords Brain asymmetry · miRNAs · Cerebral cortex · WNT signaling pathway · Lateralization
Introduction Hemispheric asymmetry, such as structural and functional differences between the left and right hemisphere, is a fundamental organizational feature of the mammalian brain [1]. In humans, many major cognitive functions, for example language, logic processing, face recognition, and spatial abilities, have been shown laterality between two hemispheres [2, Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-020-05708-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Tao Sun [email protected] 1
Center for Precision Medicine, School of Medicine and School of Biomedical Sciences, Huaqiao University, 668 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, Fujian, China
2
Fuzhou Medical College of Nanchang University, Fuzhou, Jiangxi, China
3
Department of Radiation Oncology, First Hospital of Quanzhou, Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, Fujian, China
4
Department of Clinical Laboratory, First Hospital of Quanzhou, Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou, Fujian, China
3]. How human brain asymmetry is developed anatomically and functionally in early fetus remains unclear. During human fetal development, neural tube closure occurs by 4 weeks post conception (PC) (period 1, embryonic stage). Subsequently, the cortical surface expands significantly due to rapid proliferation of neural progenitors from 6 to 17 weeks PC (period 3–4, early- and mid-fetal stages) [4, 5]. Neural progenitors residing in the ventricular zone (VZ) and subventricular zone (SVZ) proliferate to expand progenitor pool, and later on differentiate into postmitotic neurons,
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