Zhao Yun, Rao Jiahui, Qiu Tong, Li Chunjin, Zhou Xu
College of Animal Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China.
College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, China.
Animals (Basel). 2021 May 13;11(5):1391. doi: 10.3390/ani11051391.
Retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) is a transporter of vitamin A that is secreted mainly by hepatocytes and adipocytes. It affects diverse pathophysiological processes, such as obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular diseases. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to play indispensable roles in regulating various developmental processes via the post-transcriptional repression of target genes in mammals. However, the functional link between RBP4 and changes in miRNA expression in porcine granulosa cells (GCs) remains to be investigated. To examine how increased expression of affects miRNA expression, porcine GCs were infected with -targeted lentivirus for 72 h, and whole-genome miRNA profiling (miRNA sequencing) was performed. The sequencing data were validated using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis. As a result, we obtained 2783 known and 776 novel miRNAs. In the experimental group, 10 and seven miRNAs were significantly downregulated and upregulated, respectively, compared with the control group. Ontology analysis of the biological processes of these miRNAs indicated their involvement in a variety of biological functions. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses indicated that these miRNAs were involved mainly in the chemokine signaling pathway, peroxisome proliferators-activated receptors (PPAR) signaling pathway, insulin resistance pathway, nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-kappa B) signaling pathway, and steroid hormone biosynthesis. Our results indicate that RBP4 can regulate the expression of miRNAs in porcine GCs, with consequent physiological effects. In summary, this study profiling miRNA expression in -overexpressing porcine GCs provides an important reference point for future studies on the regulatory roles of miRNAs in the porcine reproductive system.
视黄醇结合蛋白4（RBP4）是一种维生素A转运蛋白，主要由肝细胞和脂肪细胞分泌。它影响多种病理生理过程，如肥胖、胰岛素抵抗和心血管疾病。据报道，微小RNA（miRNA）在哺乳动物中通过对靶基因的转录后抑制作用，在调节各种发育过程中发挥不可或缺的作用。然而，RBP4与猪颗粒细胞（GCs）中miRNA表达变化之间的功能联系仍有待研究。为了研究RBP4表达增加如何影响miRNA表达，用靶向RBP4的慢病毒感染猪GCs 72小时，并进行全基因组miRNA谱分析（miRNA测序）。测序数据通过实时定量聚合酶链反应（RT-qPCR）分析进行验证。结果，我们获得了2783个已知miRNA和776个新的miRNA。与对照组相比，实验组分别有10个和7个miRNA显著下调和上调。对这些miRNA的生物学过程进行本体分析表明它们参与了多种生物学功能。基因本体和京都基因与基因组百科全书富集分析表明，这些miRNA主要参与趋化因子信号通路、过氧化物酶体增殖物激活受体（PPAR）信号通路、胰岛素抵抗通路、核因子-κB（NF-κB）信号通路和类固醇激素生物合成。我们的结果表明，RBP4可以调节猪GCs中miRNA的表达，从而产生生理效应。总之，本研究对过表达RBP4的猪GCs中的miRNA表达进行分析，为未来研究miRNA在猪生殖系统中的调控作用提供了重要参考。
