miR-370 is stage-specifically expressed during mouse embryonic development and regulates Dnmt3a

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that participate in a large variety of biological processes. In this paper, the spatiotemporal expression pattern of miR-370 was characterized during mouse embryonic development, and was found to be stage- and tissue-specifically expressed. In addition, through luciferase reporter assays and western blot analyses, DNA methyltransferase 3A (Dnmt3a) was identified as a directly regulated target of miR-370. Altogether, our results indicate that miR-370 may play important roles in the morphogenesis of diverse organs, especially brain and adrenal glands, by mediating Dnmt3a expression during mouse development.