MiR-486 regulates lactation and targets the PTEN gene in cow mammary glands.
Mammary gland development is controlled by several genes. Although miRNAs have been implicated in mammary gland function, the mechanism by which miR-486 regulates mammary gland development and lactation remains unclear. We investigated miR-486 expression in cow mammary gland using qRT-PCR and ISH and show that miR-486 expression was higher during the high-quality lactation period. We found that miR-486 targets phosphoinositide signaling in the cow mammary gland by directly downregulating PTEN gene expression and by altering the expression of downstream genes that are important for the function of the mammary gland, such as AKT, mTOR. We analyzed the effect of β-casein, lactose and triglyceride secretion in bovine mammary gland epithelial cells (BMECs) transfected by an inhibitor and by mimics of miR-486. Our results identify miR-486 as a downstream regulator of PTEN that is required for the development of the cow mammary gland.
Key Laboratory of Dairy Science of Education Ministry, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, China.
Dan
D
Li
Key Laboratory of Dairy Science of Education Ministry, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, China.
Xuejiao
X
Xie
Key Laboratory of Dairy Science of Education Ministry, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, China.
Jie
J
Wang
Key Laboratory of Dairy Science of Education Ministry, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, China.
Yanjie
Y
Bian
Key Laboratory of Dairy Science of Education Ministry, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, China.
Qingzhang
Q
Li
Key Laboratory of Dairy Science of Education Ministry, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, China.
Xuejun
X
Gao
Key Laboratory of Dairy Science of Education Ministry, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, Heilongjiang, China.
Chunmei
C
Wang
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D035683:MicroRNAs; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase