Autophagy is a mechanism that exists in all eukaryotes under a variety of physiological and pathological conditions. In the mammalian ovaries, less than 1% of follicles ovulate, whereas the remaining 99% undergo follicular atresia. Autophagy and apoptosis have been previously found to be involved in the regulation of both primordial follicular development as well as atresia. The relationship between autophagy, follicular development, and atresia have been summarized in this review with the aim to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the role played by autophagy in follicular development and atresia.

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Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is one of the most economically important diseases of swine, which is caused by PRRS virus (PRRSV). CD151, one of PRRSV entry mediators, determines the cell susceptibility for PRRSV. Emerging evidence indicates that the host microRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in modulating virus infection and viral pathogenesis. In the present study, targeting porcine CD151 miRNAs were identified, and their function during PRRSV infection in MARC-145 cells was further verified. We found that miR-506 could directly target porcine CD151 3'-UTR mRNA by luciferase reporter assay. Overexpression of miR-506 significantly decreased CD151 expression at both mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, overexpression of miR-506 reduced cellular PRRSV replication and virus release in MARC-145 cells. Our results suggested that miR-506 could inhibit PRRSV replication by directly targeting PRRSV receptor of CD151 in MARC-145 cells. However, the molecular mechanisms of miR-506 and its function in vivo need further investigation.

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