Transcriptome profiling of longissimus dorsi during different prenatal stages to identify genes involved in intramuscular fat deposition in lean and obese pig breeds.

BACKGROUND: There was significant difference in muscle development between fat-type and lean-type pig breeds. METHODS AND RESULTS: In current study, transcriptome analysis and bioinformatics analysis were used to compare the difference in longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle at three time-points (38 days post coitus (dpc), 58 dpc, and 78 dpc ) between Huainan (HN) and Large white (LW) pig breeds. A total of 24500 transcripts were obtained in 18 samples, and 2319, 2799, and 3713 differently expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between these two breeds at 38 dpc, 58 dpc, and 78 dpc, respectively. And the number and foldchange of DEGs were increased, the alternative splice also increased. The cluster analysis of DEGs indicated the embryonic development progress of LD muscle between these two breeds was different. There were 539 shared DEGs between HN and LW at three stages, and the top-shared DEGs were associated with muscle development and lipid deposition, such as KLF4, NR4A1, HSP70, ZBTB16 and so on. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed DEGs between Huainan (HN) and Large white (LW) pig breeds, and contributed to the understanding the muscle development difference between HN and LW, and provided basic materials for improvement of meat quality.

Analysis of differentially expressed circRNAs in longissimus muscle between castrated and intact male pigs.

Castration can reduce odor and fights in boars, but the carcass yield is reduced, and the intramuscular fat content is increased. Understanding its molecular mechanism is of great significance for production. Recent studies have shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play an important role(s) in the regulation of muscle development. To explore the effects of circRNAs on the development of longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle after castration, six Huainan male pigs were selected and three of which were randomly castrated. Six pigs were slaughtered when their body weight reached around 130 kg, and the LD muscle samples were collected. The differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs) were screened by high-throughput sequencing and functionally analyzed using the KEGG databases. DECs-miRNAs network was constructed, and the expression profiles of candidate circRNAs and their interactions with miRNAs were verified in porcine skeletal muscle satellite cells. The results showed that a total of 5866 circRNAs were obtained, and 370 DECs were identified in LD muscle between the castrated and intact groups (| log2Foldchange | > 1, padj <0.8). KEGG enrichment indicated that the parental genes for the DECs were mainly enriched in the pathways associated with muscle development, muscle fiber type transformation, and energy metabolism. There were 8 miRNAs and 69 circRNAs enriched in the DECs-miRNA network. circRNA_2241 and circRNA_4237 were selected for verification, which showed that these two circRNAs really existed and their expression profiles were consistent with the sequencing results. Further, preliminary analysis showed that circRNA_2241 interacted with miR-1, and testosterone promoted circRNA_2241 but inhibited miR-1 expression. These results confirmed that circRNAs might participate in the regulation of LD muscle development after castration by interacting with miRNAs, thereby providing new materials and references for analyses on the molecular mechanisms of castration on the regulation of muscle development.

Effect of Moringa oleifera supplementation on productive performance, colostrum composition and serum biochemical indexes of sow.

Moringa oleifera has been considered as a potential functional feed or food, since it contains multiple components beneficial to animal and human. However, little is known about the effects of Moringa oleifera supplementation on productive performances in sows. In the current study, the results showed that dietary Moringa oleifera significantly decreased the farrowing length and the number of stillborn (p < .05), while had an increasing trend in the number of live-born (0.05 < p < .10). Furthermore, 8% Moringa oleifera supplementation significantly elevated protein levels in the colostrum (p < .05); 4% Moringa oleifera lowed serum urea nitrogen of sows after 90 days of gestation (p < .05) and significantly decreased serum glucose on 10 days of lactation (p < .05). Both groups showed significant elevation in serum T-AOC activity (p < .05). The serum malondialdehyde (MDA) of sows declined significantly in 4% Moringa oleifera addition group (p < .05). 8% Moringa oleifera meal significantly elevated serum CAT activity after 60 days of gestation (p < .05), while decreased the serum MDA level and increased the serum GSH-Px activity of sows at 10 days of lactation (p < .05). Of piglets, both two dosages of Moringa oleifera supplementation essentially reduced the serum urea nitrogen (p < .05), and 4% Moringa oleifera meal increased serum total protein (p < .05). In addition, piglets that received 8% Moringa oleifera had the highest serum CAT and SOD activities among all groups (p < .05). The present study indicated that Moringa oleifera supplementation could enhance the reproduction performances, elevate protein levels in the colostrum and improve the serum antioxidant indices in both sows and piglets.

Plant MIR156 regulates intestinal growth in mammals by targeting the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important negative regulators of genes involved in physiological and pathological processes in plants and animals. Recent studies have shown that miRNAs might regulate gene expression among different species in a cross-kingdom manner. However, the specific roles of plant miRNAs in animals remain poorly understood and somewhat. Herein, we found that plant MIR156 regulates proliferation of intestinal cells both in vitro and in vivo. Continuous administration of a high plant miRNA diet or synthetic MIR156 elevated MIR156 levels and inhibited the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway in mouse intestine. Bioinformatics predictions and luciferase reporter assays indicated that MIR156 targets Wnt10b. In vitro, MIR156 suppressed proliferation by downregulating the Wnt10b protein and upregulating ß-catenin phosphorylation in the porcine jejunum epithelial (IPEC-J2) cell line. Lithium chloride and an MIR156 inhibitor relieved this inhibition. This research is the first to demonstrate that plant MIR156 inhibits intestinal cell proliferation by targeting Wnt10b. More importantly, plant miRNAs may represent a new class of bioactive molecules that act as epigenetic regulators in humans and other animals.

Exploration of long noncoding RNA in bovine milk exosomes and their stability during digestion in vitro.

Previous studies have demonstrated that bovine milk contains mRNA and microRNA that are largely encapsulated in milk-derived exosomes. However, little information is available about long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) in bovine milk. Increasing evidence suggests that lncRNA are of particular interest given their key role in gene expression and development. We performed a comprehensive analysis of lncRNA in bovine milk exosomes by RNA sequencing. We used a validated human in vitro digestion model to investigate the stability of lncRNA encapsulated in bovine milk exosomes during the digestion process. We identified 3,475 novel lncRNA and 6 annotated lncRNA. The lncRNA shared characteristics with those of other mammals in terms of length, exon number, and open reading frames. However, lncRNA showed higher expression than mRNAs. We selected 12 lncRNA of high-expression abundance and identified them by PCR. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses showed that lncRNA regulate immune function, osteoblastogenesis, neurodevelopment, reproduction, cell proliferation, and cell-cell communication. We also investigated the 12 lncRNA using quantitative real-time PCR to reveal their expression profiles in milk exosomes during different stages of lactation (colostrum 2 d, 30 d, 150 d, and 270 d); their resulting expression levels in milk exosomes showed variations across the stages. A digestion experiment showed that bovine milk exosome lncRNA was resistant to in vitro digestion with different digestive juices, including saliva, gastric juice, pancreatic juice, and bile juice. Taken together, these results show for the first time that cow milk contains lncRNA, and that their abundance varied at different stages of lactation. As expected, bovine milk exosomal lncRNA were stable during in vitro digestion. These findings provide a basis for further understanding of the physiological role of milk lncRNA.

miR-146b Inhibits Glucose Consumption by Targeting IRS1 Gene in Porcine Primary Adipocytes.

Adipose tissue plays an important role in energy metabolism. Adipose dysfunction is closely related to obesity and type II diabetes. Glucose uptake is the key step for fat synthesis in adipocyte. miRNAs have been proven to play a crucial role in adipocyte differentiation, adipogenesis and glucose homeostasis. In this paper, we firstly reported that miR-146b decreased glucose consumption by up-regulating miR-146b in a porcine primary adipocyte model, while the inhibitor of endogenous miR-146b rescued the reduction. Then, miR-146b was predicated to target IRS1 by bioinformatics analysis, and a dual-luciferase reporter assay validated this predication. Western blot analyses indicated both IRS1 and glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) were down-regulated by miR-146b overexpression. Our study demonstrated that miR-146b regulated glucose homeostasis in porcine primary pre-adipocyte by targeting IRS1, and provided new understandings on regulations of lipogenesis by miRNAs.

Revelation of mRNAs and proteins in porcine milk exosomes by transcriptomic and proteomic analysis.

BACKGROUND: Milk is a complex liquid that provides nutrition to newborns. Recent reports demonstrated that milk is enriched in maternal-derived exosomes that are involved in fetal physiological and pathological conditions by transmission of exosomal mRNAs, miRNAs and proteins. Until now, there is no such research relevant to exosomal mRNAs and proteins in porcine milk, therefore, we have attempted to investigate porcine milk exosomal mRNAs and proteins using RNA-sequencing and proteomic analysis. RESULTS: A total of 16,304 (13,895 known and 2,409 novel mRNAs) mRNAs and 639 (571 known, 66 candidate and 2 putative proteins) proteins were identified. GO and KEGG annotation indicated that most proteins were located in the cytoplasm and participated in many immunity and disease-related pathways, and some mRNAs were closely related to metabolisms, degradation and signaling pathways. Interestingly, 19 categories of proteins were tissue-specific and detected in placenta, liver, milk, plasma and mammary. COG analysis divided the identified mRNAs and proteins into 6 and 23 categories, respectively, 18 mRNAs and 10 proteins appeared to be involved in cell cycle control, cell division and chromosome partitioning. Additionally, 14 selected mRNAs were identified by qPCR, meanwhile, 10 proteins related to immunity and cell proliferation were detected by Western blot. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide the first insight into porcine milk exosomal mRNA and proteins, and will facilitate further research into the physiological significance of milk exosomes for infants.

miR-30-5p Regulates Muscle Differentiation and Alternative Splicing of Muscle-Related Genes by Targeting MBNL.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of single stranded, small (~22 nucleotides), non-coding RNAs, play an important role in muscle development. We focused on the role of the miR-30-5p family during bovine muscle development from previous high-throughput sequencing results and analyzed their expression profiles. MHC and MyoG mRNAs expression as well as their proteins were suppressed in differentiated C2C12 cells, suggesting the importance of miR-30-5p in muscle development. MBNL, the candidate target of miR-30-5p, is an alternative splicing regulation factor. MBNL1 and MBNL3 have opposite effects on muscle differentiation. Our results confirmed that miR-30a-5p and miR-30e-5p repress the expression of MBNL1, MBNL2 and MBNL3, whereas miR-30b-5p inhibits MBNL1 and MBNL2 expression. This provides direct evidence that MBNL expression can be flexibly regulated by miR-30-5p. Previous studies showed that MBNL1 promotes exon inclusion of two muscle-related genes (Trim55 and INSR). Through RNA splicing studies, we found that miR-30-5p had an effect on their alternative splicing, which means miR-30-5p via MBNL1 could be integrated into muscle signaling pathways in which INSR or Trim55 are located. In conclusion, miR-30-5p could inhibit muscle cell differentiation and regulate the alternative splicing of Trim55 and INSR by targeting MBNL. These results promote the understanding of the function of miRNAs in muscle development.

Pituitary-derived small extracellular vesicles promote liver repair by its cargo miR-143-3p.

The small Extracellular vesicles (sEV) has been recognized to be significant for intercellular communication due to their ability to transfer important cellular cargoes like miRNAs through circulation. The pituitary gland has not been clearly known about the role of its secreted sEV under normal physiological conditions. And Liver disease is a global public health burden. The present study is the first to investigate the effect of pituitary sEV on the liver. Sequencing and qRT-PCR revealed miR-143-3p is one of the richest in the pituitary sEV. MiR-143 Knockout (KO) mice resulted in a remarkable decrease in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels and a significant increase in insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 (IGFBP5) levels along with a reduction in liver primary cell growth. More importantly, compared with miR-143-KO-sEV, WT-sEV possesses a more robust capacity to improve miR-143 KO mice liver repair through the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway after an acute injury caused by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Our results indicate that pituitary-derived sEV promotes hepatocyte proliferation and liver repair by its cargo miR-143-3p and provides new insight into the regulation mechanism of the pituitary-liver axis, and open a new window for endocrine regulation by using sEV.

miRNAs derived from milk small extracellular vesicles inhibit porcine epidemic diarrhea virus infection.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a member of the genus Alphacoronavirus in the family Coronaviridae, causes acute diarrhea and/or vomiting, dehydration, and high mortality in neonatal piglets. It has caused huge economic losses to animal husbandry worldwide. Current commercial PEDV vaccines do not provide enough protection against variant and evolved virus strains. No specific drugs are available to treat PEDV infection. The development of more effective therapeutic anti-PEDV agents is urgently needed. Our previous study suggested that porcine milk small extracellular vesicles (sEV) facilitate intestinal tract development and prevent lipopolysaccharide-induced intestinal injury. However, the effects of milk sEV during viral infection remain unclear. Our study found that porcine milk sEV, which was isolated and purified by differential ultracentrifugation, could inhibit PEDV replication in IPEC-J2 and Vero cells. Simultaneously, we constructed a PEDV infection model for piglet intestinal organoids and found that milk sEV also inhibited PEDV infection. Subsequently, in vivo experiments showed that milk sEV pre-feeding exerted robust protection of piglets from PEDV-induced diarrhea and mortality. Strikingly, we found that the miRNAs extracted from milk sEV inhibited PEDV infection. miRNA-seq, bioinformatics analysis, and experimental verification demonstrated that miR-let-7e and miR-27b, which were identified in milk sEV targeted PEDV N and host HMGB1, suppressed viral replication. Taken together, we revealed the biological function of milk sEV in resisting PEDV infection and proved its cargo miRNAs, miR-let-7e and miR-27b, possess antiviral functions. This study is the first description of the novel function of porcine milk sEV in regulating PEDV infection. It provides a better understanding of milk sEV resistance to coronavirus infection, warranting further studies to develop sEV as an attractive antiviral.

Identification and characterization of circRNAs related to meat quality during embryonic development of the longissimus dorsi muscle in two pig breeds.

Meat quality, an important economic trait, is regulated by many factors, especially by genetic factors, including coding genes, miRNAs, and lncRNAs. Recent studies have elucidated that circRNAs also play a key role in muscle development and lipid deposition. However, the functions and regulatory mechanisms of circRNAs in meat quality remain mostly unknown. The circRNA expression profiles between Huainan pigs (Chinese indigenous pigs, fat-type, Huainan HN) and Large White pigs (Western commercial pigs, lean-type, LW) in the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle at 38, 58, and 78 days post conception (dpc) were compared by sequencing. In total, 39,887 circRNAs were identified in 18 samples, and 60, 78, and 86 differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs) were found at the three stages mentioned above between these two breeds. The parent genes of DECs were enriched in myogenesis, proliferation, adipogenesis and muscle fiber-type transition. The circRNA-miRNA interaction networks included 38 DECs and 47 miRNAs, and these miRNAs were involved in muscle development and lipid metabolism. Two shared DECs (circ_0030593 and circ_0032760) of these three stages were selected, their head-to-tail junction sites were validated by Sanger sequencing, and RT‒qPCR results suggested that these two DECs might be involved in intramuscular fat deposition. These findings provide a basis for understanding the role of circRNAs in meat quality.

Haplotype combination of SREBP-1c gene sequence variants is associated with growth traits in cattle.

The aim of this study was to examine the association of the SREBP-1c polymorphism with growth traits in cattle breeds. Five sequence variants (SVs) were identified within the bovine sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c gene (SREBP-1c), using DNA sequencing, PCR, PCR­RFLP, and forced PCR­RFLP methods. These polymorphisms include three missense mutations (SV1, SV4, and SV5) in exons 7, 9, and 12, a silent mutation (SV3) in exon 9, and a large deletion (SV2) in intron 7. Overall, we report the validation of polymorphisms within the bovine SREBP-1c gene, and the haplotype variability and extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) in 1061 individuals representing the five main cattle breeds from China. We also investigated haplotype frequencies and LD coefficients for five SVs in all study populations. LD and haplotype structure of SREBP-1c were different between breeds. The result of haplotype analysis of five SVs showed that 27 different haplotypes were identified by all breeds. Two haplotypes (Hap1 and Hap2) shared by all five populations accounted for 42.75%, 35.68%, 36.44%, 25.43%, and 96.26% of all haplotypes observed in the cattle breeds Nanyang, Qinchuan, Jiaxian, Jinnan, and Chinese Holstein, respectively. The statistical analyses indicated that one single SV and 38 combined haplotypes were significantly associated with growth traits in the Nanyang cattle population (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The results of this study suggest that the SREBP-1c gene possibly is a strong candidate gene that affects growth traits in the Chinese beef cattle breeding program.

GHRH expression plasmid improves osteoporosis and skin damage in aged mice.

The hormone secretion of GHRH-GH-IGF-1 axis in animals was decreased as aging. These hormones play an important role in maintaining bone mass and bone structure, and also affect the normal structure and function of the skin. We used plasmid-based technology to deliver growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) to elderly mice. In the current study, 80 and 120 µg/kg pVAX-GHRH plasmid expression plasmid were injected into old mice, the serum GHRH and insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1) content were increased within three weeks (P < 0.05). In the groups of 80 and 120 µg/kg plasmid, the content of procollagen type I N-terminal pro-peptide (PINP) in the serum was increased(P < 0.05), and the content of C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen (CTX-1) in the serum was reduced significantly (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG) and osteocalcin (OCN) in the femur also was increased(P < 0.05). The bone mineral density(BMD)、trabecular bone volume (BV/TV) and trabecular number(Tb.N) of mouse femur were increased significantly (P < 0.05) and trabecular separation(Tb.Sp) was decreased(P < 0.05). There were more trabecular bones in the bone marrow cavity and the trabecular bones are thicker in the groups of 80 and 120 µg/kg plasmid relative to control. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) content in the skin was increased(P < 0.05), and the malondialdehyde (MDA) content was reduced significantly (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the skin moisture content also increased significantly(P < 0.05). Moreover, the expression of matrix metalloproteinase 3(MMP3) and matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP9) was decreased in the skin(P < 0.05). The thickness of the dermis and epidermis of the skin had increased significantly(P < 0.05). Skin structure is more dense and complete in the two groups. These results indicate that 80 and 120 µg/kg plasmid-mediated GHRH supplementation can improve osteoporosis and skin aging in aged mice.

Biological Characteristics and Roles of Noncoding RNAs in Milk-Derived Extracellular Vesicles.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have diverse roles in the transport of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids between cells, and they serve as mediators of intercellular communication. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) that are present in EVs, including microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs, and circular RNAs, have been found to participate in complex networks of interactions and regulate a wide variety of genes in animals. Milk is an important source of nutrition for humans and other mammals. Evidence suggests that milk-derived EVs contain abundant ncRNAs, which are stable and can be transported to the offspring and other consumers. Current data suggest a strong link between milk EV ncRNAs and many biological processes, and these ncRNAs have been drawing increasing attention and might play an epigenetic regulatory role in recipients, though further research is still necessary to understand their precise roles. The present review introduces basic information about milk EV ncRNAs, summarizes their expression profiles, biological characteristics, and functions based on current knowledge, and discusses their biological roles, indeterminate issues, and perspectives. Our goal is to provide a deeper understanding of the physiological effects of milk EV ncRNAs on offspring and to provide a reference for future research in this field.

Novel SNPs of the caprine growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) gene and their association with growth traits in goats.

Growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), a G protein-coupled receptor that binds ghrelin, plays an important role in the central regulation of pituitary growth hormone secretion, food intake, and energy homeostasis. This study analyzed polymorphism of the caprine GHSR gene as a genetic marker candidate for growth traits in goats. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (GU014697:g.165G-->A and GU014697:g.548T-->C) were identified in exon 2 of the caprine GHSR gene by PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing methods. Their associations with growth traits were analyzed in 313 Xuhuai goats. The results indicated that GU014697:g.548T-->C had significant effects on growth traits. Body length and body length index were significantly higher in individuals with genotype TT than CC and CT in (P < 0.05). TT individuals also tended to have better performance in other traits, such as body height and chest circumference, although there were no statistical differences (P > 0.05). This suggests that GHSR is a strong candidate gene that affects growth traits in goats.

MiR-125b-2 knockout increases high-fat diet-induced fat accumulation and insulin resistance.

Obese individuals are more susceptible to comorbidities than individuals of healthy weight, including cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. MicroRNAs are a class of small and noncoding RNAs that are implicated in the regulation of chronic human diseases. We previously reported that miR-125b plays a critical role in adipogenesis in vitro. However, the involvement of miR-125b-2 in fat metabolism in vivo remains unknown. In the present study, miR-125b-2 knockout mice were generated using CRISPR/CAS9 technology, resulting in mice with a 7 bp deletion in the seed sequence of miR-125b-2. MiR-125b-2 knockout increased the weight of liver tissue, epididymal white fat and inguinal white fat. MiR-125b-2 knockout also increased adipocyte volume in HFD-induced obese mice, while there were no significant differences in body weight and feed intake versus mice fed a normal diet. Additionally, qRT-PCR and western blot analysis revealed that the expression of the miR-125b-2 target gene SCD-1 and fat synthesis-associated genes, such as PPARγ and C/EBPα, were significantly up-regulated in miR-125b-2KO mice (P < 0.05). Moreover, miR-125b-2KO altered HFD-induced changes in glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. In conclusion, we show that miR-125b-2 is a novel potential target for regulating fat accumulation, and also a candidate target to develop novel treatment strategies for obesity and diabetes.

Porcine milk exosome miRNAs protect intestinal epithelial cells against deoxynivalenol-induced damage.

Porcine milk exosomes play an important role in mother-infant communication. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a toxin which causes serious damage to the animal intestinal mucosa. Our previous study showed porcine milk exosomes facilitate mice intestine development, but the effects of these exosomes to antagonize DON toxicity is unclear. Our in vivo results showed that milk exosomes attenuated DON-induced damage on the mouse body weight and intestinal epithelium growth. In addition, these exosomes could reverse DON-induced inhibition on cell proliferation and tight junction proteins (TJs) formation and reduce DON-induced cell apoptosis. In vitro, exosomes up-regulated the expression of miR-181a, miR-30c, miR-365-5p and miR-769-3p in IPEC-J2 cells and then down-regulated the expression of their targeting genes in p53 pathway, ultimately attenuating DON-induced damage by promoting cell proliferation and TJs and by inhibiting cell apoptosis. In conclusion, porcine milk exosomes could protect the intestine against DON damage, and these protections may take place through the miRNAs in exosomes. These results indicated that the addition of miRNA-enriched exosomes to feed or food could be used as a novel preventative measure for necrotizing enterocolitis.

Porcine Milk Exosome MiRNAs Attenuate LPS-Induced Apoptosis through Inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB and p53 Pathways in Intestinal Epithelial Cells.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a bacterial endotoxin that induces intestine inflammation. Milk exosomes improve the intestine and immune system development of newborns. This study aims to establish the protective mechanisms of porcine milk exosomes on the attenuation of LPS-induced intestinal inflammation and apoptosis. In vivo, exosomes prevented LPS-induced intestine damage and inhibited (p < 0.05) LPS-induced inflammation. In vitro, exosomes inhibited (p < 0.05) LPS-induced intestinal epithelial cells apoptosis (23% ± 0.4% to 12% ± 0.2%). Porcine milk exosomes also decreased (p < 0.05) the LPS-induced TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway activation. Furthermore, exosome miR-4334 and miR-219 reduced (p < 0.05) LPS-induced inflammation through the NF-κB pathway and miR-338 inhibited (p < 0.05) the LPS-induced apoptosis via the p53 pathway. Cotransfection with these three miRNAs more effectively prevented (p < 0.05) LPS-induced cell apoptosis than these miRNAs individual transfection. The apoptosis percentage in the group cotransfected with the three miRNAs (14% ± 0.4%) was lower (p < 0.05) than that in the NC miRNA group (28% ± 0.5%), and also lower than that in each individual miRNA group. In conclusion, porcine milk exosomes protect the intestine epithelial cells against LPS-induced injury by inhibiting cell inflammation and protecting against apoptosis through the action of exosome miRNAs. The presented results suggest that the physiological amounts of miRNAs-enriched exosomes addition to infant formula could be used as a novel preventative measure for necrotizing enterocolitis.

Plant MIR167e-5p Inhibits Enterocyte Proliferation by Targeting ß-Catenin.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important negative regulators of genes involved in physiological and pathological processes in plants and animals. It is worth exploring whether plant miRNAs play a cross-kingdom regulatory role in animals. Herein, we found that plant MIR167e-5p regulates the proliferation of enterocytes in vitro. A porcine jejunum epithelial cell line (IPEC-J2) and a human colon carcinoma cell line (Caco-2) were treated with 0, 10, 20, and 40 pmol of synthetic 2'-O-methylated plant MIR167e-5p, followed by a treatment with 20 pmol of MIR167e-5p for 0, 24, 48, and 72 h. The cells were counted, and IPEC-J2 cell viability was determined by the MTT and EdU assays at different time points. The results showed that MIR167e-5p significantly inhibited the proliferation of enterocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Bioinformatics prediction and a luciferase reporter assay indicated that MIR167e-5p targets ß-catenin. In IPEC-J2 and Caco-2 cells, MIR167e-5p suppressed proliferation by downregulating ß-catenin mRNA and protein levels. MIR167e-5p relieved this inhibition. Similar results were achieved for the ß-catenin downstream target gene c-Myc and the proliferation-associated gene PCNA. This research demonstrates that plant MIR167e-5p can inhibit enterocyte proliferation by targeting the ß-catenin pathway. More importantly, plant miRNAs may be a new class of bioactive molecules for epigenetic regulation in humans and animals.