title: MiR-126-3p regulates progesterone receptors and involves development and lactation of mouse mammary gland.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (18-22 nucleotide) non-coding, endogenous regulatory RNA molecules, and they regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level through binding to their target mRNAs by base-pairing and subsequently inducing either translational repression or mRNA destabilization by plants, animals, and some viruses. In this study, combining microarray techniques with qRT-PCR, we found that miR-126-3p expression showed significant difference in the mouse mammary cycle during pregnancy, particularly on transition from pregnancy to lactation. Bioinformatics were used to predict target gene of miR-126-3p, and luciferase activity assay to test it, it showed that the progesterone receptor (PGR) 3'UTR is directly targeted by miR-126-3p. In this study, mouse mammary epithelial cells as cell model in vitro were used to study the function of miR-126-3p. Using gene silencing and over-expression for miR-126-3p, the expression of PGR protein and the secretion of casein were detected by western blotting and HPLC, respectively. To determine whether miR-126-3p can affect mouse mammary epithelial cells viability, cells were analyzed by CASY-YY. In conclusion, PGR gene confirmed miR-126-3p target genes through luciferase activity and western blotting. And miR-126-3p could also inhibit proliferation of mouse mammary epithelial cells (P < 0.01) and expression of β-casein (P < 0.01), and down-regulate PGR protein (P < 0.05). Our results suggested that miR-126-3p inhibited expression of PGR protein level as well as the proliferation of mammary epithelial cells, therefore miR-126-3p could play an important role in the process of mammary gland development.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Dairy Science of Education Ministry, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People's Republic of China. cvqiancangnan@163.com
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Qingzhang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ding
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D000818:Animals; D002364:Caseins / Q000378:metabolism; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000235:genetics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D007774:Lactation / Q000235:genetics*; D049409:Luciferases, Firefly / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D002364:Caseins; C545201:MIRN126 microRNA, mouse; D035683:MicroRNAs; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D049409:Luciferases, Firefly