BioMed Central Blog
Zebra finch thematic series takes off
The zebra finch joins the chicken today as the second bird species to have its genome fully sequenced. The abilities of this bird to learn songs makes the zebra finch an attractive species to study the neurobiology and evolution of learned behavior. Songbird studies will also shed light on cognitive processes involved in vocal communication and related aspects of brain development and evolution.
With the announcement of the full genome sequence, BioMed Central launches an exciting new thematic series, bringing together zebra finch related research across our journals.
In Journal of Biology, Raphale Pinaud highlights some of the new insights and areas of study that profit from the sequence announced today.With a second reference point in the bird world it is now possible to have an in-depth look into similarities and differences of large-scale genome structures between birds and mammals.
In an article published today in BMC Biology, Christopher Balakrishnan and co-workers explore the intriguing evolutionary history of the zebra finch major histocompatibility complex. In a second article in the journal, Fang Xie and colleagues survey the neuropeptidome of the song bird.
Victor Quesada and colleagues report in BMC Genomics how genomic expansions and deletions shape the repertoires of proteases in birds and mammals, Estrogenic steroids are responsible to shape the male neural circuits that control zebra finch singing and Sarah London and David Clayton had a close look at steroid related genes in the songbird genome .
As with every new genome, the announcement of the sequence is a first step towards a new research program, rather than the endpoint of it. The questions that can now be addressed, using the song bird as a genomic model, are supported by new genetic tools. In BMC Genomics, Alexander Ball and colleagues explore the types of markers that can be applied to detailed genetic studies.
Our new thematic series takes off today, but we will add further content to the series in the near future. The interest in zebra finch research brings together scientists from backgrounds as diverse as neuroscience, evolutionary biology, genomics , developmental biology and ecology. From basic questions on the evolution of language to the study of avian virology as a potential threat to human health, the songbird genome will open new doors to understanding. The series will be a home for songbird research from all these fields and we hope that bringing these articles together will prompt continued interest in the wider scientific community and promote fruitful collaborations.
Hans Zauner
Scientific Editor, BMC Series journals
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New potent and selective antisense reagent described in Silence
In a recent report, Zheng et al demonstrate a technique for the specific inhibition of miRNA expression in Caenorhabditis elegans using modified antisense oligonucleotides, which could be utilized as a potent tool for the study of regulation and function of miRNAs in vivo. Their article is published in Silence, and is discussed further in a mini-review by Slack et al, published in Journal of Biology.
The authors developed a new class of fluorescently labeled antisense reagents in order to specifically inhibit the function of miRNAs in C. elegans. These antisense oligonucleotides were introduced into the germline of adult hermaphrodite C. elegans and passed onto the worms’ progeny, and were successfully shown to efficiently and specifically inhibit Lin-4 miRNA in several different tissues. Confirmation of the specificity of this method was obtained using two further dextran conjugates, designed to block lsy-6 and let-7 respectively, two miRNAs of known function in C. elegans; both were shown to specifically block their target miRNAs. These antisense reagents can also be used in combination to inhibit more than one miRNA at a time, allowing researchers to study the effect of multiple miRNAs on gene expression and examine miRNA interactions.
The authors anticipate that this new class of antisense oligonucleotide will offer scientists a new experimental approach complimentary to the mutational strategy currently used for the study of miRNA function in vivo.
For more information on Silence, please visit our homepage.
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