Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, China.
Jiangsu Livestock Embryo Engineering Laboratory, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, No.1 Weigang, Nanjing 210095, China; and Corresponding author. Email:
Reprod Fertil Dev. 2020 Feb;32(4):373-382. doi: 10.1071/RD19116.
Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) play crucial roles in early gonadal development and germ cell maturation of mammals; FGF9 is involved in mammalian testis steroidogenesis. However, the upstream regulators of FGF9 in ovine testosterone biosynthesis remain unknown. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial regulators of multiple biological functions that act by altering gene expression. In the present study, we analysed the role of LOC105611671, a lncRNA upstream of FGF9, in Hu sheep steroidogenesis. We found that LOC105611671 expression increased significantly in Hu sheep testes during sexual maturation (P<0.05). Moreover, levels of FGF9 and testosterone were decreased by LOC105611671 knockdown in Hu sheep Leydig cells (LCs). Results of transient transfection and luciferase assays revealed that FGF9 is a functional target gene of oar-miR-26a in ovine LCs. Further functional validation experiments revealed that LOC105611671 regulates testosterone biosynthesis by targeting oar-miR-26a. Overall, the present study describes the expression profile of LOC105611671 during sexual maturation and demonstrates that LOC105611671 modulates FGF9 expression by targeting oar-miR-26a to promote testis steroidogenesis in Hu sheep. Our research provides a new theoretical basis for genetic and molecular research on testosterone biosynthesis in sheep.
成纤维细胞生长因子（FGFs）在哺乳动物早期性腺发育和生殖细胞成熟中发挥着关键作用；FGF9 参与了哺乳动物睾丸类固醇生成。然而，绵羊睾丸甾体激素生物合成中 FGF9 的上游调节因子尚不清楚。长链非编码 RNA（lncRNA）是多种生物功能的重要调节因子，通过改变基因表达发挥作用。在本研究中，我们分析了 FGF9 上游 lncRNA LOC105611671 在湖羊甾体激素生物合成中的作用。我们发现 LOC105611671 在湖羊性成熟过程中的睾丸中表达显著增加（P<0.05）。此外，LOC105611671 在湖羊睾丸间质细胞（LCs）中的敲低导致 FGF9 和睾酮水平降低。瞬时转染和荧光素酶测定结果表明，FGF9 是 oar-miR-26a 在绵羊 LCs 中的功能性靶基因。进一步的功能验证实验表明，LOC105611671 通过靶向 oar-miR-26a 调节睾酮生物合成。总的来说，本研究描述了 LOC105611671 在性成熟过程中的表达谱，并证明 LOC105611671 通过靶向 oar-miR-26a 调节 FGF9 表达，从而促进湖羊睾丸甾体激素生成。我们的研究为绵羊睾酮生物合成的遗传和分子研究提供了新的理论基础。
