title: Detection of dietetically absorbed maize-derived microRNAs in pigs.
abstract: MicroRNAs are a class of small RNAs that are important in post-transcriptional gene regulation in animals and plants. These single-stranded molecules are widely distributed in organisms and influence fundamental biological processes. Interestingly, recent studies have reported that diet-derived plant miRNAs could regulate mammalian gene expression, and these studies have broadened our view of cross-kingdom communication. In the present study, we evaluated miRNA levels in cooked maize-containing chow diets, and found that plant miRNAs were resistant to the harsh cooking conditions to a certain extent. After feeding fresh maize to pigs (7 days), maize-derived miRNAs could be detected in porcine tissues and serum, and the authenticity of these plant miRNAs was confirmed by using oxidization reactions. Furthermore, in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that dietary maize miRNAs could cross the gastrointestinal tract and enter the porcine bloodstream. In the porcine cells, we found that plant miRNAs are very likely to specifically target their endogenous porcine mRNAs and influence gene expression in a fashion similar to that of mammalian miRNAs. Our results indicate that maize-derived miRNAs can cross the gastrointestinal tract and present in pigs, and these exogenous miRNAs have the potential to regulate mammalian gene expression.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
authors.forename: Pengjun
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China. xunwang@sicau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
authors.forename: Yuhao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.|Chongqing Three Gorges University, Chongqing, 404000, China.
authors.forename: Zhiping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.|The Fishery Institute of Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu, 611731, China.
authors.forename: Qingzhi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.|College of Animal Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China.
authors.forename: Yuhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
authors.forename: Guojun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Animal Breeding and Genetics Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Animal Science Academy, Chengdu, 610066, China.
authors.forename: Yiren
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
authors.forename: Long
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
authors.forename: Jideng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
authors.forename: Qianzi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
authors.forename: Anan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China.
authors.forename: Xuewei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China. mingzhou.li@sicau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Mingzhou
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D065567:Absorption, Physiological; D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D000074166:Circulating MicroRNA; D055354:Exosomes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D034622:RNA Interference; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D013552:Swine / Q000235:genetics; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000074166:Circulating MicroRNA; D035683:MicroRNAs; D018749:RNA, Plant