Totipotency of miR-184 in porcine granulosa cells

Abstract

Estradiol (E₂) synthesis, cell proliferation and the apoptosis of porcine granulosa cells (GCs) affect follicular growth and development. The miR-184 level in ovary tissues of Yorkshire × Landrace sows was significantly higher in high-yielding sows than that in low-yielding sows, which was the same as in Yorkshire sows. However, the roles of miR-184 on E₂ granulosa cells (GCs) are still unclear. We found that miR-184 promoted E₂ synthesis and proliferation but inhibited apoptosis in GCs by targeting nuclear receptor subfamily 1 group D member 1 (NR1D1), cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (P21,CDKN1A) and homeodomain interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2) respectively. These findings indicated that miR-184 is a novel key factor that regulates the physiological functions of GCs.

Keywords: Apoptosis; Estradiol synthesis; Granulosa cells; Proliferation; miR-184.