MicroRNA-148a Targets <i>DNMT1</i> and <i>PPARGC1A</i> to Regulate the Viability, Proliferation, and Milk Fat Synthesis of Ovine Mammary Epithelial Cells

Abstract

In this study, the expression profiles of miR-148a were constructed in eight different ovine tissues, including mammary gland tissue, during six different developmental periods. The effect of miR-148a on the viability, proliferation, and milk fat synthesis of ovine mammary epithelial cells (OMECs) was investigated, and the target relationship of miR-148a with two predicted target genes was verified. The expression of miR-148a exhibited obvious tissue-specific and temporal-specific patterns. miR-148a was expressed in all eight ovine tissues investigated, with the highest expression level in mammary gland tissue (p p p p DNMT1) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-A (PPARGC1A) in wild-type vectors, suggesting that they are target genes of miR-148a. The expression of miR-148a was highly negatively correlated with PPARGC1A (r = −0.789, p DNMT1 (r = −0.515, p = 0.029). This is the first study to reveal the molecular mechanisms of miR-148a underlying the viability, proliferation, and milk fat synthesis of OMECs in sheep.

Keywords

• microRNA-148a
• ovine mammary epithelial cells
• viability
• proliferation
• triglyceride
• <i>DNMT1</i>