MBD1 regulates neurogenesis through microRNAs

Title: MBD1 regulates neurogenesis through microRNAs.

Neurogenesis in the postnatal adult brain is likely to have significant roles in brain self-repair and learning. Adult neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs) are the cellular basis for these processes. Deficiency in NSCs and neurogenesis may be linked to various debilitating disorders such as mental retardation, autism and depression. Gaining an understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms that regulate NSCs could lead to more effective treatments for these devastating diseases. Our laboratory has recently found that methyl-CpG binding protein 1 (MBD1) is a critical epigenetic regulator of adult neurogenesis. We recently published that MBD1 regulates neurogenesis at least in part by repressing the expression of miR-184, a non-coding microRNA, by preventing transcription of the miR-184 gene (Liu et al Cell Stem Cell 2010). MicroRNAs are shown to regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. The question that remains is, are there other microRNAs that are targeted by MBD1? In this study, we aim to identify other noncoding microRNA targets of MBD1 and to understand how the interaction between MBD1 and these microRNAs govern the fate of NSCs..