Functional Mutations in the microRNA-155 Promoter Modulate its Transcription Efficiency and Expression

Limited research has been conducted on porcine miR-155 promoters, and previous study from our group have identified two haplotypes (TT and CC) in different pig breeds, each associated with five fully linked mutation sites within or near the miR-155 gene (Li et al. Dev Comp Immunol 39(1):110-116, 2013). In this study, the promoter region of porcine miR-155 was screened, and two important transcription factors, Foxp3 and RelA, were identified. The binding ability of Foxp3 protein was found to be affected by the first mutation site (A/C) using EMSA analysis. In vitro experiments revealed that the expression level of miR-155 was significantly higher in the C haplotype compared to the T haplotype. Additionally, northern blotting assays indicated that both the first mutation site (A/C) and the fourth mutation site (G/T) had a significant impact on miR-155 expression levels. These findings provide further insights into the transcriptional regulation of porcine miR-155 and identify crucial mutation sites that influence miR-155 expression. This knowledge can serve as a basis for identifying potential molecular markers associated with disease resistance in swine.