MiR‐302 enhances the viability and stemness of male germline stem cells.

Contents: MicroRNAs were reported to be able to regulate mGSCs' self‐renewal through post‐transcriptional inhibition of gene expression. miR‐302 worked as one important microRNA family existed mainly in human ESCs, and its role in mGSCs has not been reported yet. To elucidate the role of miR‐302 in dairy goat mGSCs, the expression profile of miR‐302 was explored through qPCR and FISH. Furthermore, to detect the function of miR‐302, the expression vector containing miR‐302 was transfected into mGSCs, and then, the cell cycle, the cell apoptosis and the genes associated with mGSCs' self‐renewal and differentiation were examined. The results showed that miR‐302 expressed in testis moderately and located on the basement of seminiferous tubes which shared the same location as mGSCs. Transfection of the vector containing miR‐302 fragment into the immortalized mGSCs obviously enhanced the cell proliferation ability and the attachment ability, also, promoted the expression level of CD49f and OCT4. Also, miR‐302 reduced the cell apoptosis and downregulated the expression of P21. miR‐302 sustained mGSCs' proliferation in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]