circINHA resists granulosa cell apoptosis by up-regulating CTGF as a ceRNA of miR-10a-5p in pig ovarian follicles

This study revealed a novel circINHA/miR-10a-5p/CTGF regulatory pathway in porcine granulosa cells (GCs) apoptosis. An anti-apoptosis effect of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF, CNN2) in GCs was first observed during follicular atresia and in vitro. CTGF was then identified as a direct functional target of miR-10a-5p, which was up-regulated in atretic follicles. Additionally, we demonstrated that circINHA promoted GCs proliferation and inhibits GCs apoptosis via CTGF as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) that directly bound to miR-10a-5p. Our findings revealed a new circRNA based regulatory pathway for porcine GCs apoptosis and provided novel insights into the potential mechanism involved in the initiation of follicular atresia in pig ovary.

Source: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) Gene Regulatory Mechanisms - September 1, 2019 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research