"We validated the altered expression of age-associated miRNAs using transgenic animals carrying constructs of the miRNA promoter fused to a GFP marker gene. Transgenic lines used in this study contained transgenes integrated into chromosomes and were crossed into the
spe-9(
hc88) mutant background. We tested changes in GFP signal intensity during aging at Day 0, Day 3, and Day 6 of adulthood... For example,
mir-34, which showed a dramatic increase in expression of the mature miRNA during aging, exhibited a similar increase in GFP signals in aged transgenic animals (Fig. 5)... Interestingly, in many cases of miRNAs up-regulated with age, the GFP signals seem to be expressed in tissues or cells in which they are not expressed at earlier stages. The GFP signals from the mir-34Tgfp transgenic line were detectable de novo in cells on the ventral side in most aging animals (Fig. 5; marked by arrowheads in larger images in Supplemental Fig. S6B)."