title: MicroRNAs-140-5p/140-3p modulate Leydig cell numbers in the developing mouse testis.
abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play key regulatory roles in a range of biological processes, including cell differentiation and development. To identify miRNAs that participate in gonad differentiation, a fundamental and tightly regulated developmental process, we examined miRNA expression profiles at the time of sex determination and during the early fetal differentiation of mouse testes and ovaries using high-throughput sequencing. We identified several miRNAs that were expressed in a sexually dimorphic pattern, including several members of the let-7 family, miR-378, and miR-140-3p. We focused our analysis on the most highly expressed, sexually dimorphic miRNA, miR-140-3p, and found that both miR-140-3p and its more lowly expressed counterpart, the previously annotated guide strand, miR-140-5p, are testis enriched and expressed in testis cords. Analysis of the miR-140-5p/miR-140-3p-null mouse revealed a significant increase in the number of Leydig cells in the developing XY gonad, strongly suggesting an important role for miR-140-5p/miR-140-3p in testis differentiation in mouse.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Genetics and Development, Institute for Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rakoczy
authors.forename: Selene L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Valverde
authors.forename: Evgeny A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Glazov
authors.forename: Elanor N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Wainwright
authors.forename: Tempei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.forename: Alexander N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Combes
authors.forename: Darren J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Korbie
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Sean M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Grimmond
authors.forename: Melissa H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Little
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Asahara
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Mattick
authors.forename: Ryan J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Taft
authors.forename: Dagmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D007985:Leydig Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C547828:MIRN140 microRNA, mouse; D035683:MicroRNAs
keywords: gonad development; high-throughput sequencing; microRNA; sex determination; strand selection; testis differentiation