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Dicer is essential for mouse development

Nature Genetics volume 35, pages 215–217 (2003)Cite this article

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 01 November 2003

Abstract

To address the biological function of RNA interference (RNAi)-related pathways in mammals, we disrupted the gene Dicer1 in mice. Loss of Dicer1 lead to lethality early in development, with Dicer1-null embryos depleted of stem cells. Coupled with our inability to generate viable Dicer1-null embryonic stem (ES) cells, this suggests a role for Dicer, and, by implication, the RNAi machinery, in maintaining the stem cell population during early mouse development.

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Figure 1: Disruption of the mouse gene Dicer1.
Figure 2: Characterization of Dicer1 mutant embryos.

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Acknowledgements

We thank L. Bianco and J. Coblentz for assistance with animals; B. Holdener, M.J. Garcia-Garcia and the Stony Brook University Histology Facility for help with initial embryo dissections; and M. Zhang and Z. Xuan for bioinformatics. E.M. is a Elisabeth Sloane Livingston Fellow of the Watson School of Biological Sciences. M.C. is supported by a US Army Breast Cancer Research Program Predoctoral Fellowship. This work was supported in part by grants from the US National Institutes of Health (G.J.H, S.J.E. and K.V.A) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (S.J.E.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Watson School of Biological Sciences, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, 11724, New York, USA

    Emily Bernstein, Sang Yong Kim, Michelle A Carmell, Elizabeth P Murchison, Alea A Mills & Gregory J Hannon

  2. Program in Genetics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, 11794, New York, USA

    Emily Bernstein & Michelle A Carmell

  3. Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, 1275 York Avenue, New York, 10021, New York, USA

    Heather Alcorn & Kathryn V Anderson

  4. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, 77030, Texas, USA

    Mamie Z Li & Stephen J Elledge

Authors
  1. Emily Bernstein
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  2. Sang Yong Kim
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  3. Michelle A Carmell
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  4. Elizabeth P Murchison
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  5. Heather Alcorn
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  10. Gregory J Hannon
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Correspondence to Gregory J Hannon.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Bernstein, E., Kim, S., Carmell, M. et al. Dicer is essential for mouse development. Nat Genet 35, 215–217 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1253

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