The miRNA-mediated gene regulatory network in hippocampus and hypothalamus of the aging mouse

Aging leads to time-dependent functional decline of all major organs. In particular, the aging brain is susceptible to cognitive decline and several neurodegenerative diseases. To characterize the aging process and understand the underlying molecular mechanisms, numerous studies have examined changes in gene expression in the aging mouse brain using high-throughput sequencing. However, microRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression has not yet been comprehensively elucidated. In this study, we performed global analysis of mRNA and microRNA expression simultaneously in the hypothalamus and hippocampus of young and aged mice. We identified aging-dependent differentially expressed genes, most of which were specific to the hypothalamus or hippocampus. For mRNA sequencing, a total of 6 samples were prepared from each hippocampus and hypothalamus tissue, 3 biological replicates in young (2 months old) and aged mice (15 months old). For small-RNA sequencing, a total of 6 samples were prepared from each hippocampus and hypothalamus tissue, 3 biological replicates in young (2 months old) and aged mice (15 months old).