Identification of circular RNAs in the immature and mature rat anterior pituitary

Han, Dong-Xu; Wang, Changjiang; Sun, Xiaolong; Li, Jianbo; Jiang, Hao; Gao, Yan; Chen, Chengzhen; Yuan, Bao; Zhang, Jiabao

doi:10.1530/joe-18-0540

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 52 publications

(52 reference statements)

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“…However, circAkap17b levels in the anterior pituitary were shown to drop quite dramatically during the first 2 weeks after birth ( 104 ), such that its function in regulating FSH might be limited. Additional circRNAs were found differentially expressed in pituitaries from immature and mature rats (see below) and were predicted to interact with various miRNAs reported to regulate Fshb ( 105 ), although their function has yet to be demonstrated.…”

Section: Regulation Of Key Gonadotrope Genes By Enhancers Ernas and Regulatory Lncrnasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Possible functions were inferred by searching for protein-coding genes within 100 kb of the lncRNAs, and 3 lncRNAs (MSTRG.80236.1, MSTRG.80236.2 and MSTRG.80236.3) that were predicted to interact with Fshb showed similarly increased expression ( 133 ). This group also screened for functional circRNAs, using a similar approach, and detected 32 DE circRNAs in the sexually immature and mature rat anterior pituitaries ( 105 ). They predicted interactions of some of the circRNAs and miRNAs, which lead to the discovery of several circRNAs with potential to regulate Fshb by acting as miRNA sponges as detailed in the previous section (“Fshb is Regulated in cis by a Distal Enhancer and Possibly in trans by miRNA-Sponging lncRNAs”) ( 104 , 105 ).…”

Section: Screening For Functional Pituitary Lncrnas Associated With Sexual Maturation and Reproductive Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This group also screened for functional circRNAs, using a similar approach, and detected 32 DE circRNAs in the sexually immature and mature rat anterior pituitaries ( 105 ). They predicted interactions of some of the circRNAs and miRNAs, which lead to the discovery of several circRNAs with potential to regulate Fshb by acting as miRNA sponges as detailed in the previous section (“Fshb is Regulated in cis by a Distal Enhancer and Possibly in trans by miRNA-Sponging lncRNAs”) ( 104 , 105 ).…”

Section: Screening For Functional Pituitary Lncrnas Associated With Sexual Maturation and Reproductive Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Enhancing Gonadotrope Gene Expression Through Regulatory lncRNAs

Refael

Melamed

2021

Endocrinology

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The world of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has opened up massive new prospects in understanding the regulation of gene expression. Not only are there seemingly almost infinite numbers of lncRNAs in the mammalian cell, but they have highly diverse mechanisms of action. In the nucleus, some are chromatin-associated, transcribed from transcriptional enhancers (eRNAs) and/or direct changes in the epigenetic landscape with profound effects on gene expression. The pituitary gonadotrope is responsible for activation of reproduction through production and secretion of appropriate levels of the gonadotropic hormones. As such, it exemplifies a cell whose function is defined through changes in developmental and temporal patterns of gene expression, including those that are hormonally-induced. Roles for diverse distal regulatory elements and eRNAs in gonadotrope biology have only just begun to emerge. Here, we will present an overview of the different kinds of lncRNAs that alter gene expression, and what is known about their roles in regulating some of the key gonadotrope genes. We will also review various screens that have detected differentially expressed pituitary lncRNAs associated with changes in reproductive state, and those whose expression is found to play a role in gonadotrope-derived non-functioning pituitary adenomas. We hope to shed light on this exciting new field, emphasize the open questions, and encourage research to illuminate the roles of lncRNAs in various endocrine systems.

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Section: Regulation Of Key Gonadotrope Genes By Enhancers Ernas and Regulatory Lncrnasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Screening For Functional Pituitary Lncrnas Associated With Sexual Maturation and Reproductive Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Screening For Functional Pituitary Lncrnas Associated With Sexual Maturation and Reproductive Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Enhancing Gonadotrope Gene Expression Through Regulatory lncRNAs

Refael

Melamed

2021

Endocrinology

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“…In addition, an increasing number of reports have indicated that circRNAs play key roles in a variety of biological processes. In 2019, Han et al identified circRNAs in the anterior pituitaries of mature and immature rats [ 33 ]. However, information on circRNAs in the rat pituitary, particularly after GnRH treatment, is still limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of Circular RNAs in the Anterior Pituitary in Rats Treated with GnRH

Guo

Yuan

et al. 2021

Animals

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The pituitary gland, an important endocrine organ, can secrete a variety of reproductive hormones under the action of hypothalamus-secreted gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and plays important roles in animal reproduction. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of RNA molecules with stable covalently closed circular structures. CircRNAs are equipped with miRNA response elements (MREs), which can regulate the expression of target genes by competitively binding miRNAs. However, whether the expression levels of circRNAs in the pituitary gland change under the action of GnRH and whether such changes can further affect the secretion of reproductive hormones are still unclear. In this study, we performed RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) of GnRH-treated rats to identify differentially expressed circRNAs. The results revealed 1433 related circRNAs, 14 of which were differentially expressed. In addition, we randomly selected five differentially expressed circRNAs and tested their relative expression levels by RT-qPCR, the results of which were consistent with the RNA sequencing results. Finally, we predicted targeted relationships between the differentially expressed circRNAs and FSHb-LHb-associated miRNAs. In all, a total of 14 circRNAs were identified that may act on the secretion and regulation of reproductive hormones in GnRH-treated rats. Our expression profiles of circRNAs in the anterior pituitaries of rats treated with GnRH can provide insights into the roles of circRNAs in mammalian development and reproduction.

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“…miR-7, with a high degree of pituitary specificity (Amar et al 2012, plays a vital role in regulating diverse biological processes such as insulin signaling (Fernandez-de Frutos et al 2019), neuronal processes (Hu et al 2019), diet-induced obesity (Gao et al 2019), EMT, trophoblast invasion (Shih et al 2019), hormone secretion, and hypogonadism (Ahmed et al 2017, Zhang et al 2017a. In our previous study, we analyzed the expression profiles of circRNA between mature and homologous immature rat pituitary tissue samples (Han et al 2019). Based on nextgeneration sequencing with circRNA and bioinformatics, we constructded circRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks in the rat anterior pituitary.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

circAkap17b acts as a miR-7 family molecular sponge to regulate FSH secretion in rat pituitary cells

Wang

Gao

Huang

et al. 2020

Journal of Molecular Endocrinology

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The pituitary gland functions as a prominent regulator of diverse physiologic processes by secreting multiple hormones. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are an emerging novel type of endogenous noncoding RNA that have recently been recognized as powerful regulators participating in various biological processes. However, the physiological roles and molecular mechanisms of circRNAs in pituitary remain largely unclear. Herein, we concentrated on expounding the biological function and molecular mechanism of circRNA in rat pituitary. In this study, we identified a novel circRNA in pituitary tissue, circAkap17b, which was pituitary- and stage-specific. Then, we designed circAkap17b siRNA and constructed an overexpression plasmid to evaluate the effect of loss- and gain-of-circAkap17b function on FSH secretion. Interestingly, silencing circAkakp17b significantly inhibited FSH expression and secretion, while overexpression of circAkap17b enhanced FSH expression and secretion. Furthermore, dual luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays confirmed that circAkap17b could serve as miR-7 sponge to regulate target genes. Additionally, miR-7b suppressed FSH expression and secretion by directly targeting FSHb through the dual luciferase reporter and RT-qPCR analysis. Additionally, rescue experiments showed that circAkap17b could regulate FSH secretion in pituitary cells through a circAkap17b-miR-7-FSHb axis. Collectively, we demonstrated that circAkap17b could act as a molecular sponge of miR-7 to up-regulate expression of the target gene FSHb and facilitate FSH secretion. These findings provide evidence for a novel regulatory role of circRNAs in pituitary.

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Identification of circular RNAs in the immature and mature rat anterior pituitary

Cited by 7 publications

References 52 publications

Enhancing Gonadotrope Gene Expression Through Regulatory lncRNAs

Enhancing Gonadotrope Gene Expression Through Regulatory lncRNAs

Identification of Circular RNAs in the Anterior Pituitary in Rats Treated with GnRH

circAkap17b acts as a miR-7 family molecular sponge to regulate FSH secretion in rat pituitary cells

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