GSE136589
The role of circular RNAs in porcine antral follicular degeneration
Goal:Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are thought to play important roles in multiple biological processes including apoptosis. In the ovary granulosa cell apoptosis plays an essential role in the follicular phase of the estrous cycle as it determines if the selected follicles will degenerate or escape this fate and ovulate. Whether circRNAs play a role in granulosa cell apoptosis is at present unknown. By investigating the potential role of circRNAs in the granulosa cell apoptotic cascade we hope to gain novel information regarding the regulation of antral follicular apoptosis using the porcine ovary as a model. Method: Ribosomal-depleted RNA-sequencing was performed to generate circRNA expression profiles from isolated mural porcine granulosa cells of healthy antral (HA) and atretic antral (AA) follicles, respectively. Results:In total, more than 9,632 circRNAs were identified, of which 62 circRNAs were differentially expressed (DE-circRNAs). GO and KEGG analysis of DE-circRNAs showed that apoptosis, cellular responses to stress and cell cycle pathways, were significantly enriched. Next the characteristics of DE-circRNAs, including back-splicing, RNase R resistance and stability were validated, and miRNA binding sites of DE-circRNAs were predicted. Conclusion: Based on these observations, we conclude that aberrantly expressed circRNAs and their targeted genes seem to be associated with granulosa cell apoptosis and thus antral follicular atresia. Overall design: circular RNA profiles of Porcine healthy antral (HA) and atretic antral (AA) were generated by deep sequencing, in triplicate, using Illumina.