Abstract
In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been recognized as important regulators of gene expression in plants and animals. Distinct miRNA expression profiles have been observed in various adult tissues in mammals, suggesting that miRNAs may have a regulatory role in development. This hypothesis is supported by the finding that the elimination of miRNA processing in conditional Dicer knockout mice results in developmental abnormalities in the targeted tissues (skin, the limb, T cells, and lung). It is currently not known if specific miRNAs play a role in liver development. To address this, we have surveyed the expression of all known mouse miRNAs in the embryonic and newborn mouse liver. Utilizing a microarray representing every mouse miRNA in miRBase 8.0, we have identified liver-specific miRNAs with distinct temporal patterns of expression during liver development. Furthermore, we have identified a number of miRNAs which are expressed in spatially-restricted patterns within the liver microarchitecture, as determined by in situ hybridization. These results indicate that miRNAs may play important roles in the differentiation of hepatocytes and cholangiocytes as well as the morphogenesis of the mature liver. Future studies will utilize this foundation to identify the biological function of liver miRNAs both during development and in disease states.
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