Testis-enriched circular RNA circ-Bbs9 plays an important role in Leydig cell proliferation by regulating a CyclinD2-dependent pathway.

Testis-enriched circular RNA circ-Bbs9 plays an important role in Leydig cell proliferation by regulating a CyclinD2-dependent pathway. Reprod Fertil Dev. 2019 Nov 11;: Authors: Jia M, Li X, Jiang C, Wang K, Zuo T, He G, Qin L, Xu W Abstract Circular RNAs belong to a new category of non-coding RNAs, characterised by a circular structure, conservation, stability and high expression in eukaryotes. They often show tissue- or cell-specific expression. Here, we identified a testis-enriched circular RNA (circRNA), circular Bbs9 (circ-Bbs9) that is highly expressed in mouse testis. An RNase R treatment experiment confirmed that circ-Bbs9 is indeed a circRNA. In situ hybridisation experiments showed that circ-Bbs9 is expressed in Leydig cells along seminiferous tubules and in the cytoplasm of the TM3 Leydig cell line. Knocking down the circ-Bbs9 in TM3 cells by lentivirus vectors arrested cell proliferation, whereas overexpression of circ-Bbs9 induced cell proliferation significantly. Knocking down circ-Bbs9 inhibited the protein level of cyclin D2 (Ccnd2) and RNA immunoprecipitation results showed that circ-Bbs9 interacts with Ccnd2. Our results show that use of the Hedgehog pathway Smoothened Agonist (SAG) HCl and antagonists cyclopamine and gant6 affects the expression levels of Glioma-Associated Oncogene Homolog 1 (Gli1), Ccnd2 and other genes in this pathway. Our research reveals that a Leydig cell-specific circRNA, circ-Bbs9, plays a c...
Source: Reproduction, Fertility, and Development - Category: Reproduction Medicine Authors: Tags: Reprod Fertil Dev Source Type: research