Sex-biased gene and microRNA expression in the developing mouse brain is associated with neurodevelopmental functions and neurological phenotypes.

Background: Sex differences pose a challenge and an opportunity in biomedical research. Understanding how sex chromosomes and hormones affect disease-causing mechanisms will shed light on the mechanisms underlying predominantly idiopathic sex-biased neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD, schizophrenia, and autism. Gene expression is a crucial conduit for the influence of sex on developmental processes; therefore, this study focused on sex differences in gene expression and the regulation of gene expression.

Identification of novel microRNAs in the embryonic mouse brain using deep sequencing.

Many advances in small RNA-seq technology and bioinformatics pipelines have been made recently, permitting the discovery of novel miRNAs in the embryonic day 15.5 (E15.5) mouse brain.