miR17-92's Role in the Development of the Olfactory System

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), non-coding RNA molecules involved in post transcription regulation of gene expression, have been shown to play an influential role in various neurodevelopmental processes. In the olfactory system, the neurogenic sensory tissue involved in the perception and processing of smells, miRNAs have been shown to be essential in the development of nascent olfactory receptor neurons. miRNA cluster 17-92 promotes proliferation and differentiation and inhibits apoptosis in a number of stem cell and cancer models. In the adult OE, miR17-92 appears to be expressed in transit amplifying progenitor cells and mature cell types. Thus, we hypothesize miR17-92 may play a similar role in the development of the olfactory epithelium (OE) by promoting neuroprogenitors to divide and differentiate into mature tissue. We are interested in investigating miR17-92's role in early development by analyzing the expression pattern of miR17-92 during development. To understand the significance of miR17-92 in the OE, we will knock out miR17-92 in the OE and assess its effect on cell death, proliferation, differentiation, and neurogenesis. We will use protein immunohistochemistry to visualize markers for these development processes in wild type and miR17-92 knock out mice. To further explore miR17-92's role in OE development, we will also assess miR17-92's downstream gene targets expressed in the OE using mRNA in situ analysis. The human genome may encode over 1000 miRNAs, however, very little is known about specific miRNAs effect on mammalian neurogenic development. Our work hopes to contribute a deeper understanding of the roles of specific miRNAs in mammalian neurodevelopment.