Sertoli cells (SCs) create a specialized environment to support and dictate spermatogenesis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a kind of ~ 22 nt small noncoding RNAs, have been reported to be highly abundant in mouse SCs and play critical roles in spermatogenesis. However, the miRNAs of porcine SCs remain largely unknown. We isolated porcine SCs and conducted small RNA sequencing. By comparing miRNAs in germ cells, we systematically analyzed the miRNA expression pattern of porcine SCs. We screened the highly enriched SC miRNAs and predicted their functions by Gene Ontology analysis. The dual luciferase assay was used to elucidate the regulation of tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR)-associated factor 3 (TRAF3) by ssc-miR-149. The analysis showed that 18 miRNAs were highly expressed in SCs and 15 miRNAs were highly expressed in germ cells. These miRNAs were predicted to mediate SC and germ cell functions. In addition, ssc-miR-149 played critical roles in SCs by targeting TRAF3. Our findings provide novel insights into the miRNA expression pattern and their regulatory roles of porcine SCs.

中文翻译：

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猪支持细胞中 miRNA 的分析。

支持细胞 (SCs) 创造了一个专门的环境来支持和支配精子发生。MicroRNAs (miRNAs) 是一种约 22 nt 的非编码小 RNA，据报道在小鼠 SCs 中含量非常丰富，并在精子发生中起关键作用。然而，猪 SCs 的 miRNA 在很大程度上仍然未知。我们分离了猪 SCs 并进行了小 RNA 测序。通过比较生殖细胞中的 miRNA，我们系统地分析了猪 SCs 的 miRNA 表达模式。我们筛选了高度富集的 SC miRNA，并通过基因本体分析预测了它们的功能。双荧光素酶测定用于阐明 ssc-miR-149 对肿瘤坏死因子受体 (TNFR) 相关因子 3 (TRAF3) 的调节。分析表明，18 个 miRNA 在 SCs 中高表达，15 个 miRNA 在生殖细胞中高表达。预计这些 miRNA 会介导 SC 和生殖细胞功能。此外，ssc-miR-149 通过靶向 TRAF3 在 SCs 中发挥关键作用。我们的研究结果为猪 SCs 的 miRNA 表达模式及其调节作用提供了新的见解。