01-P026 Characterization of a novel long non-coding RNA in the Drosophila Hox complex

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) constitute of a class small non-coding RNAs that are involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation and have important regulatory roles in many fundamental biological processes. A small number of miRNAs predominantly expressed in muscle tissue have been found to play critical role in myogenesis, muscle growth, cardiac function and muscle hypertrophy. In the present study, the invivo function of one of the miRNAs induced during myogenesis, miR-206, is addressed in zebrafish. We show that miR-206 is expressed during the early gastrulation stage prior to myogenesis. Expression of miR-206 results in an inhibition of myogenesis and abnormal slow muscle cells formation. We found that sonic hedgehog (shh), a signaling protein that mediates differentiation of slow muscle progenitor cells during myogenesis, is a target of miR-206. Our results demonstrate that miR-206 regulates sonic hedgehog signaling to control myogenesis.