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MiR-126-3p regulates progesterone receptors and involves development and lactation of mouse mammary gland

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Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small (18–22 nucleotide) non-coding, endogenous regulatory RNA molecules, and they regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level through binding to their target mRNAs by base-pairing and subsequently inducing either translational repression or mRNA destabilization by plants, animals, and some viruses. In this study, combining microarray techniques with qRT-PCR, we found that miR-126-3p expression showed significant difference in the mouse mammary cycle during pregnancy, particularly on transition from pregnancy to lactation. Bioinformatics were used to predict target gene of miR-126-3p, and luciferase activity assay to test it, it showed that the progesterone receptor (PGR) 3′UTR is directly targeted by miR-126-3p. In this study, mouse mammary epithelial cells as cell model in vitro were used to study the function of miR-126-3p. Using gene silencing and over-expression for miR-126-3p, the expression of PGR protein and the secretion of casein were detected by western blotting and HPLC, respectively. To determine whether miR-126-3p can affect mouse mammary epithelial cells viability, cells were analyzed by CASY-YY. In conclusion, PGR gene confirmed miR-126-3p target genes through luciferase activity and western blotting. And miR-126-3p could also inhibit proliferation of mouse mammary epithelial cells (P < 0.01) and expression of β-casein (P < 0.01), and down-regulate PGR protein (P < 0.05). Our results suggested that miR-126-3p inhibited expression of PGR protein level as well as the proliferation of mammary epithelial cells, therefore miR-126-3p could play an important role in the process of mammary gland development.

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Acknowledgment

This study was supported by NSFC (Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant No.31072103). We thank department of animal biochemistry in the Centre of Life Science and Technique for providing laboratory equipments.

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  1. Key Laboratory of Dairy Science of Education Ministry, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People’s Republic of China

    Wei Cui, Qingzhang Li, Li Feng & Wei Ding

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  1. Wei Cui
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  2. Qingzhang Li
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  3. Li Feng
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Correspondence to Qingzhang Li.

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Cui, W., Li, Q., Feng, L. et al. MiR-126-3p regulates progesterone receptors and involves development and lactation of mouse mammary gland. Mol Cell Biochem 355, 17–25 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-011-0834-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-011-0834-1

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