Profile of small RNA transcriptome during cortical development in the Rat

Small non-coding RNAs play important roles in regulating gene expression during development and disease. However, a comprehensive analysis of small RNAs in developing brain is largely lacking. By using next-generation sequencing technique, we carried out a systematic analysis of small RNA transcriptome of rat neocortex from early developmental stage till adult. Our results revealed an extraordinary degree of stage-specific profiling of miRNA, and other classes of small RNAs including snoRNA, rasRNA, scRNA and unexpectedly piRNA, which was considered to be solely expressed in germline tissues. Developmentally regulated miRNA editing was also observed. This study further showed the effectiveness of the high through-put sequencing in genome-wide analysis of small RNAs. The dataset described here will greatly contribute to our understanding of the divergence, variation, and function of small RNAs and may be a valuable resource in clarifying new regulatory mechanisms of cortical development. Identification and quantification of small RNA: forebrain and cortex from E10 to P28