Selected microRNA-192 mutant indicates association with several function genes in bovine cells

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Genomics
• Animal Science

Background:

• MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate crucial cellular processes including development and immune responses.
• Bovine miR192 (bta-miR-192) role in cellular response to bacterial infection is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of Escherichia coli infection on bta-miR-192 expression in bovine MDBK cells.
• To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and associated pathways in bta-miR-192 deficient cells.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to detect bta-miR-192 levels.
• TALEN technology to create bta-miR-192 mutant cells.
• RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) to analyze gene expression profiles.
• Gene Ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses.

Main Results:

• bta-miR-192 expression significantly decreased upon exposure to E. coli F18ac and K88ac.
• RNA-seq identified 1673 differentially expressed transcripts (890 upregulated, 775 downregulated).
• Enrichment analyses revealed DEGs involved in cancer and infectious disease pathways, with key genes like LEF1, AXIN2, MX1, and FCGR2B identified. CBL, DICER1, and TRERF1 were implicated in the bta-miR-192 regulatory network.

Conclusions:

• bta-miR-192 plays a role in the bovine cellular response to E. coli infection.
• The study identified novel gene targets and pathways regulated by bta-miR-192, offering insights into its function in bovine cells.