1. miR-29 family regulates the puberty onset mediated by a novel Gnrh1 transcription factor TBX21
- Author
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Li Xiaoning, Kan Yang, Yanhua Lu, Junhua Xiao, Yating Fan, Xin Wang, Kai Li, and Zhou Yuxun
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,TBX21 ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Hypothalamus ,030209 endocrinology & metabolism ,Biology ,Cell Line ,Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ,Mice ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Endocrinology ,Internal medicine ,microRNA ,medicine ,Animals ,Sexual Maturation ,Protein Precursors ,Transcription factor ,Homeodomain Proteins ,Effector ,Promoter ,Luteinizing Hormone ,MicroRNAs ,030104 developmental biology ,Gene Expression Regulation ,Ectopic expression ,Follicle Stimulating Hormone ,T-Box Domain Proteins ,Transcription Factors ,Hormone - Abstract
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is the ultimate signal by which the neuroendocrine system controls the puberty onset and fertility in mammals. The pulsatile release of GnRH is regulated by numerous extracellular and intracellular factors, including miRNAs. Here, we report a novel regulation mechanism mediated by miR-29 family. We found that the absence of miR-29s resulted in elevated expression of Gnrh1 in GT1-7 cells. Through in silico and wet analysis, we identified Tbx21, a target gene of miR-29, as the main effector. As a transcription activator, TBX21 stimulates the expression of Gnrh1 directly by binding to its promoter region, and indirectly by activating the expression of Dlx1, another transcription activator of Gnrh1. Stereotactic brain infusion of miR-29 inhibitor into the hypothalamus caused earlier puberty onset in prepubertal female mice than that of intact controls. The female mice with ectopic expression of Tbx21 in the hypothalamus were affected in both puberty onset and fertility, as they had higher level of serum LH and FSH, larger litter size but steeper decline of fertility compared with those of controls. Our results revealed that miR-29-3p and its target Tbx21 played a role in regulating the mammalian puberty onset and reproduction by modulating the Gnrh1 expression.
- Published
- 2019