MicroRNA-200c Affects Milk Fat Synthesis by Targeting <i>PANK3</i> in Ovine Mammary Epithelial Cells
Milk fat is the foremost nutrient of milk and a vital indicator in evaluating milk quality. Accumulating evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the synthesis of milk fat. The miR-200c is closely related to lipid metabolism, but little is known about its effect on the synthesis of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/24/15601 |
| Summary: | Milk fat is the foremost nutrient of milk and a vital indicator in evaluating milk quality. Accumulating evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the synthesis of milk fat. The miR-200c is closely related to lipid metabolism, but little is known about its effect on the synthesis of milk fat in MECs of ewes. Herein, the effect of miR-200c on the proliferation of ovine mammary epithelial cells (MECs) and its target relationship with a predicted target gene were investigated. The regulatory effects of miR-200c on the expression of the target genes and the content of triglycerides in ovine MECs were further analyzed. The results revealed that the expression level of miR-200c was differentially expressed in both eight tissues selected during lactation and in mammary gland tissues at different physiological periods. Overexpression of miR-200c inhibited the viability and proliferation of ovine MECs, while inhibition of miR-200c increased cell viability and promoted the proliferation of ovine MECs. Target gene prediction results indicated that miR-200c would bind the 3′UTR region of pantothenate kinase 3 (<i>PANK3</i>). Overexpression of miR-200c reduced the luciferase activity of <i>PANK3</i>, while inhibition of miR-200c increased its luciferase activity. These findings illustrated that miR-200c could directly interact with the target site of the <i>PANK3</i>. It was further found that overexpression of miR-200c reduced the expression levels of <i>PANK3</i> and, thus, accelerated the synthesis of triglycerides. In contrary, the inhibitor of miR-200c promoted the expression of <i>PANK3</i> that, thus, inhibited the synthesis of triglycerides in ovine MECs. Together, these findings revealed that miR-200c promotes the triglycerides synthesis in ovine MECs via increasing the lipid synthesis related genes expression by targeting <i>PANK3</i>. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |