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Nature Research, Nature Genetics, 7(42), p. 626-630, 2010

DOI: 10.1038/ng.593

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Lin28a transgenic mice manifest size and puberty phenotypes identified in human genetic association studies

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Recently, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have linked the human LIN28B locus to height and timing of menarche [1-5]. LIN28B and its homolog LIN28 (hereafter, LIN28A) are functionally redundant RNA-binding proteins that block let-7 microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis [6-9]. lin-28 and let-7 were discovered in C. elegans as heterochronic regulators of larval and vulval development, but recently have been implicated in cancer, stem cell aging, and pluripotency [10-13]. The let-7 targets Myc, Kras, Igf2bp1 and Hmga2 are known regulators of mammalian body size and metabolism [14-18]. To explore the Lin28/let-7 pathway in vivo, we engineered transgenic mice to express Lin28a and observed increased body size, crown-rump length, and a delayed onset of puberty. While investigating metabolic and endocrine mechanisms of overgrowth, we observed increased glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity in these transgenic mice. We report a mouse that models the human phenotypes associated with genetic variation in the Lin28/let-7 pathway.