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Role of MicroRNAs in Zygotic Genome Activation: Modulation of mRNA During Embryogenesis

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Zygotic Genome Activation

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1605))

Abstract

A fundamental process occurring during early development is the zygotic genome activation, i.e., the initiation of transcription from the embryonic genome. Before that step, cellular processes in the developing embryo are dictated by transcripts produced by the maternal genome and accumulated in the egg during oogenesis. The maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT) involves both the clearance of maternal RNAs and the initiation of transcription of the embryonic genome and is a tightly regulated process. In some species, decay of maternal transcripts may be facilitated by the activity of microRNAs. These small RNAs can act pleiotropically, blocking translation and inducing destabilization of hundreds of different maternal targets. In this review, we will discuss the role of microRNAs during MZT, focusing on Drosophila melanogaster and vertebrate models, Xenopus laevis, Zebrafish and mouse, in which such a mechanism has been more extensively studied.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Tomomi Haremaki for providing images of X. laevis and zebrafish development. This work has been supported by funding from Sapienza University to A.R. and Rockefeller University to A.H.B.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology and Biotechnology ‘Charles Darwin’, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00185, Italy

    Alessandro Rosa

  2. Laboratory of Molecular Vertebrate Embryology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Ave., New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Alessandro Rosa & Ali H. Brivanlou

Authors
  1. Alessandro Rosa
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  2. Ali H. Brivanlou
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ali H. Brivanlou .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

    Kiho Lee

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Rosa, A., Brivanlou, A.H. (2017). Role of MicroRNAs in Zygotic Genome Activation: Modulation of mRNA During Embryogenesis. In: Lee, K. (eds) Zygotic Genome Activation. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1605. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6988-3_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6988-3_3

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-6986-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-6988-3

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