Abstract
The number of live births in a litter is an important reproductive trait, and is one of the main indicators which reflect the production level and economic benefit of a pig farm. The ovary is an important reproductive organ of the sow, and it undergoes a series of biological processes during each estrous cycle. A complex transcriptional network containing coding and non-coding RNAs in the ovary closely regulates the reproductive capability of sows. However, the molecular regulation mechanisms affecting sow litter size are still unclear. We investigated the expression profiles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in porcine ovaries from sows with smaller than average litter sizes (SLS) and those with larger litter sizes (LLS). In total, 411 miRNAs were identified, and of these 17 were significantly down-regulated and 16 miRNAs were up-regulated when comparing sows with LLS and SLS, respectively. We further characterized the role of miR-183 which was one of the most up-regulated miRNAs. CCK-8, EdU incorporation and western blotting assays demonstrated that miR-183 promoted the proliferation of granulosa cells (GCs) in pig ovaries. Moreover, miR-183 inhibited the synthesis of estradiol in GCs and promoted the synthesis of progesterone. These results will help in gaining understanding of the role of miRNAs in regulating porcine litter size.