Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword by Sidney Altman
- Foreword by Victor R. Ambros
- Introduction
- I Discovery of microRNAs in various organisms
- II MicroRNA functions and RNAi-mediated pathways
- 6 Inhibition of translation initiation by a microRNA
- 7 In situ analysis of microRNA expression during vertebrate development
- 8 MicroRNA function in the nervous system
- 9 MicroRNA expression that controls the amount of branched chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase in mitochondria of human cells
- 10 MicroRNAs and the regulation of leaf shape
- III Computational biology of microRNAs
- IV Detection and quantitation of microRNAs
- V MicroRNAs in disease biology
- VI MicroRNAs in stem cell development
- Index
- Plate section
- References
8 - MicroRNA function in the nervous system
from II - MicroRNA functions and RNAi-mediated pathways
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 August 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword by Sidney Altman
- Foreword by Victor R. Ambros
- Introduction
- I Discovery of microRNAs in various organisms
- II MicroRNA functions and RNAi-mediated pathways
- 6 Inhibition of translation initiation by a microRNA
- 7 In situ analysis of microRNA expression during vertebrate development
- 8 MicroRNA function in the nervous system
- 9 MicroRNA expression that controls the amount of branched chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase in mitochondria of human cells
- 10 MicroRNAs and the regulation of leaf shape
- III Computational biology of microRNAs
- IV Detection and quantitation of microRNAs
- V MicroRNAs in disease biology
- VI MicroRNAs in stem cell development
- Index
- Plate section
- References
Summary
Introduction
It is fair to say that the nervous system is among the most complex of all the organ systems in animals. In a typical mammal, billions of nerve cells (neurons) form a highly organized, intricate network of connections. The creation of neuronal networks, and their support by surrounding glial cells, is a prerequisite for the correct functioning of the nervous system. Given the complexity of the mature nervous system and the underlying processes that lead to its proper development, it is not surprising that microRNA-dependent regulation of gene expression plays an especially important role in the developing and mature nervous system. Processes in which microRNAs have been implicated in the nervous system include the initial specification of neuronal cell identity, the formation and refinement of synaptic connections between individual neurons during development and the ongoing plasticity of synapses in the adult. The functions of microRNAs during these different stages of nervous system development will be discussed, followed by a review of our knowledge about the role of microRNAs in diseases caused by neuronal dysfunction. It should be noted that microRNA function in glial cells, the other major cell type in the nervous system, will not be discussed in this chapter. This omission is not because of the absence of microRNAs from glial cells, but it simply reflects our limited knowledge about microRNAs in this cell type.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- MicroRNAsFrom Basic Science to Disease Biology, pp. 115 - 128Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2007
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