Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNA molecules which are proved to be involved in mammalian spermatogenesis. Their expression and function in the porcine germ cells are not fully understood.Methodology
We employed a miRNA microarray containing 1260 unique miRNA probes to evaluate the miRNA expression patterns between sexually immature (60-day) and mature (180-day) pig testes. One hundred and twenty nine miRNAs representing 164 reporter miRNAs were expressed differently (p<0.1). Fifty one miRNAs were significantly up-regulated and 78 miRNAs were down-regulated in mature testes. Nine of these differentially expressed miRNAs were validated using quantitative RT-PCR assay. Totally 15,919 putative miRNA-target sites were detected by using RNA22 method to align 445 NCBI pig cDNA sequences with these 129 differentially expressed miRNAs, and seven putative target genes involved in spermatogenesis including DAZL, RNF4 gene were simply confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR.Conclusions
Overall, the results of this study indicated specific miRNAs expression in porcine testes and suggested that miRNAs had a role in regulating spermatogenesis.
SUBMITTER: Luo L
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2923610 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Luo Lifan L Ye Lianzhi L Liu Gang G Shao Guochao G Zheng Rong R Ren Zhuqing Z Zuo Bo B Xu Dequan D Lei Minggang M Jiang Siwen S Deng Changyan C Xiong Yuanzhu Y Li Fenge F
PloS one 20100818 8
<h4>Background</h4>MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNA molecules which are proved to be involved in mammalian spermatogenesis. Their expression and function in the porcine germ cells are not fully understood.<h4>Methodology</h4>We employed a miRNA microarray containing 1260 unique miRNA probes to evaluate the miRNA expression patterns between sexually immature (60-day) and mature (180-day) pig testes. One hundred and twenty nine miRNAs representing 164 reporter miRNAs were expressed diff ...[more]