Systems Biology: The Search for Microrna Regulation of Human Ciliary Lung Cells

Date of Award

2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Gilchrist, Sandra

Keywords

Gene Regulation, Lungs, Micrornas, Cells, Bioinformatics, Systems Biology

Area of Concentration

Biology

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short (~22nt), endogenous, non-coding RNAs that play an important gene regulatory role in animals and plants by targeting mRNAs for degradation or translational repression. Mucociliary clearance is an essential mechanism of lung defense against inhaled chemical particulate toxins and infectious organisms. Ciliated cells are among several differentiated cell types within the lung epithelium. To maintain normal mucociliary clearance, ciliogenesis is essential. Through computational data mining the expression of miRNAs during ciliogenesis was investigated and found 6 miRNAs (miR-15a, miR-15b, miR-16, miR-195, miR-424, miR-497) with targeting sites on 3 genes (GHR, TUBA1A, CGI-38) of the ciliary axoneme of the human lung. Experimental validation revealed that the expression of the 6 miRNAs did indeed coincide with ciliogenesis being down-regulated during cell differentiation.

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