Regulation of FSH Synthesis by Differentially Expressed miR-488 in Anterior Adenohypophyseal Cells

Abstract

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which is synthesized and released by the hypothalamus, promotes the synthesis and secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), thereby regulating the growth and reproduction of animals. GnRH analogues have been widely used in livestock production. MiRNAs, which are endogenous non-coding RNAs, have been found to play important roles in hormone regulation and other physiological processes in recent years. However, the roles of miRNAs in GnRH-mediated regulation of FSH secretion have rarely been studied. Herein, we treated bovine anterior adenohypophyseal cells with an exogenous GnRH analogue and found that miR-488 was differentially expressed. Through a combination of TargetScan prediction and dual luciferase reporter analysis, miR-488 was confirmed to be able to target the FSHB gene. Based on this finding, we verified the expression of Fshβ and Lhβ mRNA in the rat adenohypophysis before and after exogenous GnRH treatment in vivo and in vitro. Experiments on rat anterior adenohypophyseal cells showed that overexpression of miR-488 significantly inhibited Fshβ expression and FSH synthesis, while knockdown of miR-488 had the opposite effects. Our results demonstrate that GnRH relies on miR-488 to regulate FSH synthesis, providing additional useful evidence for the significance of miRNAs in the regulation of animal reproduction.

Comprehensive analysis of differences in N6‐methyladenosine RNA methylomes in the rat adenohypophysis after GnRH treatment

“…Therefore, we attempted to administer low‐frequency GnRH intraperitoneally to rats similar to the cellular assay. Based on the changes in gonadotropins, we believe that our simulation was successful to a certain extent 26 …”

“…The control group was injected with the same dose of saline. The specific preparation method of the GnRH injection solution was described in detail in our previous study 26 . Pituitaries were collected 10 min after the last injection.…”

“…The specific preparation method of the GnRH injection solution was described in detail in our previous study. 26 Pituitaries were collected 10 min after the last injection. Neurohypophyses were stripped and adenohypophyses were retained to perform subsequent sequencing or determine the expression of related genes.…”

Integrative Proteomics and Phosphoproteomics Analysis of the Rat Adenohypophysis after GnRH Treatment

“…To better explore the stimulatory effects of GnRH on pituitary and FSH, exogenous GnRH treatment of rats was attempted. In our previous study, it was also demonstrated that exogenous GnRH treatment increases gonadotropin secretion in rats [ 32 ]. In this study, we found that this stimulus, which promotes FSH secretion, did not affect the morphological structure of the adenohypophysis.…”

“…Adenohypophysis tissue and blood were collected 10 min after the second treatment for subsequent experiments. The specific protocol was described in detail in our previous research [ 32 , 50 ].…”