Regulation of maternal miRNAs in early embryos revealed
December 17^th, 2014

Wispy identified as the enzyme responsible for miRNA adenylation in flies

The Center for RNA Research at the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has succeeded in revealing, for the first time, the mechanism of how miRNAs, which control gene expression, are regulated in the early embryonic stage.

The IBS researchers have verified that maternally inherited miRNAs are highly adenylated at their ends in mature oocytes and early embryos. This maternal miRNA adenylation is extensively conserved in fly, sea urchin and mouse. The researchers have also identified that the enzyme called ‘Wispy’ is required to catalyze miRNA adenylation and to reduce miRNA abundance.

“This is the first discovery of an unusual mechanism that can explain how maternal miRNAs are regulated,” explains Professor V. Narry Kim, both the director of the Center for RNA Research at IBS and the professor of the School of Biological Sciences at the Seoul National University. She elucidates the meaning of the research results as “A clue to help unveil the important biological phenomenon that takes place in the early development stages of the embryo, which has not been explored until now.”

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Notes for editors

• References

Mihye Lee, Yeon Choi, Kijun Kim, Hua Jin, Jaechul Lim, Tuan Anh Nguyen, Jihye Yang, Minsun Jeong, Antonio J. Giraldez, Hui Yang, Dinshaw J. Patel, and V. Narry Kim (2014). Adenylation of Maternally Inherited MicroRNAs by Wispy. Molecular Cell, published online
(http://www.cell.com/molecular-cell/abstract/S1097-2765%2814%2900795-3)

• For further information or to request media assistance, please contact: Ms. Mi Joo Sung, School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University(+82-2-887-2343; mjsung@snu.ac.kr) or Mr. Han Bin Oh, Overseas Public Relations Officer, IBS Public Relations Team (+82-42-878-8182; ohanvin@ibs.re.kr)

• About Institute for Basic Science (IBS)
  The IBS was founded in 2011 by the government of the Republic of Korea. With the sole purpose of driving forward the development of basic science in Korea, IBS will be comprised of a total of 50 research centers in all fields of basic science, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, life science, earth science and interdisciplinary science. IBS has launched 21 research centers as of October 2014.