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Identification and Profiling of Pituitary microRNAs of Sheep during Anestrus and Estrus Stages.

ABSTRACT: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs, molecules of 21 to 25 nucleotides in length, that regulate gene expression by binding to their target mRNA and play a significant role in animal development. The expression and role of miRNAs in regulating sheep estrus, however, remain elusive. Transcriptome analysis is helpful to understand the biological roles of miRNAs in the pituitary gland of sheep. A sheep's pituitary gland has a significant difference between estrus and anestrus states. Here, we investigate the expression profiles of sheep anterior pituitary microRNAs (miRNAs) in two states, estrus and anestrus, using Illumina HiSeq-technology. This study identified a total of 199 miRNAs and 25 differentially expressed miRNAs in the estrus and anestrus pituitary gland in sheep. Reverse transcription quantitative-PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis shows six differentially (p < 0.05) expressed miRNAs, that are miR-143, miR-199a, miR-181a, miR-200a, miR-218, and miR-221 in both estrus and anestrus states. miRNAs containing estrus-related terms and pathways regulation are enriched using enrichment analysis from gene ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Moreover, we also envisioned a miRNA-mRNA interaction network to understand the function of miRNAs involved in the pituitary gland regulatory network. In conclusion, miRNA expression profiles in sheep pituitary gland in the anestrus and estrus deliver a theoretical basis for the study of pituitary gland biology in sheep.

SUBMITTER: Ullah Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7142988 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:BACKGROUND: Seasonal estrus is a critical limiting factor of animal fecundity, and it involves changes in both ovarian biology and hormone secretion in different seasons. Previous studies indicate that two classes of small RNAs (miRNAs and piRNAs) play important regulatory roles in ovarian biology. To understand the roles of small RNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation in ovine seasonal estrus, the variation in expression patterns of ovarian small RNAs during anestrus and the breeding season were analyzed using Solexa sequencing technology. In addition, reproductive hormone levels were determined during ovine anestrus and the breeding season. RESULTS: A total of 483 miRNAs (including 97 known, 369 conserved and 17 predicated novel miRNAs), which belong to 183 different miRNA families, were identified in ovaries of Tan sheep and Small Tail Han (STH) sheep. Compared with the three stages of the breeding season, 25 shared significantly differentially expressed (including 19 up- and six down-regulated) miRNAs were identified in ovine anestrus. KEGG Pathway analysis revealed that the target genes for some of the differentially expressed miRNAs were involved in reproductive hormone related pathways (e.g. steroid biosynthesis, androgen and estrogen metabolism and GnRH signaling pathway) as well as follicular/luteal development related pathways. Moreover, the expression of the differentially expressed miRNAs and most of their target genes were negatively correlated in the above pathways. Furthermore, the levels of estrogen, progesterone and LH in ovine anestrus were significantly lower than those in the breeding season. Combining the results of pathway enrichment analysis, expression of target genes and hormone measurement, we suggest that these differentially expressed miRNAs in anestrus might participate in attenuation of ovarian activity by regulating the above pathways. Besides miRNAs, a large and unexpectedly diverse set of piRNAs were also identified. CONCLUSIONS: The miRNA profiles of ovine ovaries in anestrus were presented for the first time. The identification and characterization of miRNAs that are differentially expressed between ovine anestrus and the breeding season will help understanding of the role of miRNAs in the regulation of seasonal estrus, and provides candidates for determining miRNAs which could be potentially used to regulate ovine seasonal estrus.

Project description:The onset of estrus is a critical sign of female sexual maturity. The pituitary plays a vital role in this process by the secretion of reproductive hormones. To investigate the effects of nutrient restriction on reproductive function and the underlying mechanisms involved, deep RNA sequencing of pituitary gland tissue was carried out to determine the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between gilts in normal estrus, and gilts in which anestrus was induced by nutrient restriction. Gilts which had gone through two estrus cycles were fed a normal (CON, 2.86kg/d, n = 10) or nutrient restricted (NR, 1kg/d, n = 10) diet. The NR gilts experienced another three estrus cycles, but did not express estrus symptoms at the anticipated 6th and 7th cycles. Body weight gain in NR gilts was significantly decreased by nutrient restriction. Gilts were considered as anestrus when blood progesterone concentrations lower than 1.0 ng/mL from three consecutive blood samples were recorded. Circulating concentrations of progesterone (< 1.0 ng/mL vs. 2.1 ng/mL) and estradiol (208.6 ng/mL vs. 371.8 ng/mL) were significantly lower in the NR gilts than in the CON gilts. Between 5,360,000 and 5,370,000 sequence reads per sample from the CON and NR gilts' pituitaries were obtained and mapped to the porcine genome. Analysis of read counts revealed 185 DEGs. Expression of selected genes was validated by the use of quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Bioinformatic analysis identified that the genes identified were enriched in the GO terms "neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction", "GnRH signaling pathway" and "immune response system". Our findings provide a new perspective for understanding the nutrient restriction-induced reproductive impairment at the pituitary transcriptional level, and how this is linked to hormone secretion. Moreover, the transcriptomic changes in anestrus gilts associated with nutrient restriction could be a resource for targeted studies of genes and pathways potentially involved in the regulation of reproductive function and animal health.

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Identification and Profiling of Pituitary microRNAs of Sheep during Anestrus and Estrus Stages.

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