Developmental Biology
Zebrafish microRNA miR-210-5p inhibits primitive myelopoiesis by silencing foxj1b and slc3a2a mRNAs downstream of gata4/5/6 transcription factor genes
Zebrafish gata4/5/6 genes encode transcription factors that lie on the apex of the regulatory hierarchy in primitive myelopoiesis. However, little is known about the roles of microRNAs in gata4/5/6-regulated processes. Performing RNA-Seq deep sequencing analysis of the expression changes of microRNAs in gata4/5/6-knockdown embryos, we identified miR-210-5p as a regulator of zebrafish primitive myelopoiesis. Knocking down gata4/5/6 (generating gata5/6 morphants) significantly increased miR-210-5p expression, whereas gata4/5/6 overexpression greatly reduced its expression.Serine/Threonine Kinase 40 (Stk40) Functions as a Novel Regulator of Skeletal Muscle Differentiation
Skeletal muscle differentiation is a precisely coordinated process, and the molecular mechanism regulating the process remains incompletely understood. Here we report the identification of serine/threonine kinase 40 (Stk40) as a novel positive regulator of skeletal myoblast differentiation in culture and fetal skeletal muscle formation in vivo. We show that the expression level of Stk40 increases during skeletal muscle differentiation. Down-regulation and overexpression of Stk40 significantly decreases and increases myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts, respectively.
