College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
Institute of Reproduction and Metabolism, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Aug 2;23(15):8565. doi: 10.3390/ijms23158565.
MicroRNA-7a2 (miR-7a2) plays fundamental roles in the female reproductive axis, and estrogen is indispensable for maintaining ovary function. However, the interaction between miR-7a2 and ovarian function is unclear. The present study aimed to determine whether and how miR-7a2 functions in estrogen synthesis. Firstly, the results verified that miR-7a was highly expressed in ovarian granulosa cells. The knockout (KO) of miR-7a2 caused infertility and abnormal ovarian function in mice. Concomitantly, the expression and estrogen synthesis were significantly inhibited, which was validated in primary granulosa cells. The mice transplanted with miR-7a2 KO ovaries showed similar results; however, estrogen supplementation reversed infertility. In the in vitro experiment, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) significantly improved the expression of miR-7a and and the synthesis of estrogen. However, the miR-7a2 KO markedly reversed the function of FSH. Also, FSH upregulated miR-7a by activating the (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) JNK signaling pathway. In addition, Golgi apparatus protein 1 () was shown to be the target gene of miR-7a2. These findings indicated that miR-7a2 is essential for ovarian functions with respect to estrogen synthesis through the targeted inhibition of the expression of and then promoting expression; the physiological process was positively regulated by FSH via the JNK signaling pathway in granulosa cells.
微小 RNA-7a2 (miR-7a2) 在女性生殖轴中发挥着重要作用,而雌激素对于维持卵巢功能是不可或缺的。然而,miR-7a2 与卵巢功能之间的相互作用尚不清楚。本研究旨在确定 miR-7a2 是否以及如何在雌激素合成中发挥作用。首先,研究结果证实 miR-7a 在卵巢颗粒细胞中高表达。miR-7a2 的敲除(KO)导致小鼠不孕和卵巢功能异常。同时,在原代颗粒细胞中验证了表达和雌激素合成显著受到抑制。移植了 miR-7a2 KO 卵巢的小鼠也出现了类似的结果;然而,雌激素补充逆转了不孕。在体外实验中,卵泡刺激素 (FSH) 显著改善了 miR-7a 的表达和雌激素的合成。然而,miR-7a2 KO 显著逆转了 FSH 的功能。此外,FSH 通过激活(c-Jun N-末端激酶)JNK 信号通路上调 miR-7a。另外,高尔基器蛋白 1 () 被证明是 miR-7a2 的靶基因。这些发现表明,miR-7a2 通过靶向抑制的表达从而促进的表达,对于雌激素合成至关重要;该生理过程在颗粒细胞中通过 FSH 激活 JNK 信号通路得到正向调节。