1. The expression of miR-9 and miR-140-5p in Area X is regulated during vocal development.
The expression of miR-9 and miR-140-5p in Area X is regulated during vocal development. A, B, Sagittal brain sections of an adult and a 20-d-old juvenile male zebra finch showing the song nucleus Area X. C, D, The same juvenile brain section as in B before and after dissecting out Area X. E–G, The relative expression levels of miR-9, miR-140-5p, and FoxP2 in Area X in 20-, 30-, 45-, and 60-d-old and adult male zebra finches as measured by RT-qPCR. The relative expression levels in animals 30 d and older were normalized to the 20 d group. U6 small RNA was used as a reference for miR-9 and miR-140-5p, and GAPDH was used as a reference for FoxP2. Neither U6 nor GAPDH changed expression during development. n = 6 for the 20 d, 45 d, and adult groups, and n = 7 for the 30 d and 60 d groups. Data are mean ±SEM; p < for miR-9, miR-140-5p, and FoxP2 (one-way ANOVA). H, Gel electrophoresis shows that all qPCRs resulted in single bands with correct sizes of 153 nt for FoxP2, 124 nt for ZENK, 145 nt for GAPDH, and 106 nt for U6.
Zhimin Shi et al. J. Neurosci. 2013;33:
©2013 by Society for Neuroscience