Screening of microRNAs controlling body fat in Drosophila melanogaster and identification of miR-969 and its target, Gr47b

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 14; no. 7; p. e0219707
• Main Authors: Redmond, William, Allen, Dylan, Elledge, M Christian, Arellanes, Russell, Redmond, Lucille, Yeahquo, Jared, Zhang, Shuyin, Youngblood, Morgan, Reiner, Austin, Seo, Jin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 18.07.2019; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adipose tissue; Adipose Tissue - metabolism; Adiposity - genetics; Animals; Apoptosis; Biochemistry; Biology; Biology and life sciences; Body fat; Cardiovascular disease; Developmental biology; Drosophila; Drosophila melanogaster; Drosophila melanogaster - genetics; Drosophila Proteins - genetics; Drosophila Proteins - metabolism; Famine; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genetic Testing; Genomes; Heterozygote; Hypotheses; Insects; Kinetics; Lipid metabolism; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolic disorders; MicroRNA; MicroRNAs; MicroRNAs - genetics; miRNA; Obesity; Organ Specificity; Organogenesis; Phenotypes; Physiological aspects; Post-transcription; Receptors, Cell Surface - genetics; Receptors, Cell Surface - metabolism; Research and Analysis Methods; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Screening; Social Sciences; Stem cells; Taste receptors; Transcription (Genetics); Type 2 diabetes; United States; United States > US; Oklahoma
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219707

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-protein coding RNAs and post-transcriptionally regulate cellular gene expression. In animal development, miRNAs play essential roles such as stem cell maintenance, organogenesis, and apoptosis. Using gain-of-function (GOF) screening with 160 miRNA lines in Drosophila melanogaster, we identified a set of miRNAs which regulates body fat contents and named them microCATs (microRNAs Controlling Adipose Tissue). Further examination of egg-to-adult developmental kinetics of selected miRNA lines showed a negative correlation between fat content and developmental time. Comparison of microCATs with loss-of-function miRNA screening data uncovered miR-969 as an essential regulator of adiposity. Subsequently, we demonstrated adipose tissue-specific knock-down of gustatory receptor 47b (Gr47b), a miR-969 target, greatly reduced the amount of body fat, recapitulating the miR-969 GOF phenotype.