MicroRNA-34c regulates porcine granulosa cell function by targeting forkhead box O3a

Granulosa cells (GCs) are somatic cells of ovary, the behaviors of GCs are important for ovarian function. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous 18-24 nucleotide (nt) non-coding RNAs, some of which have been shown to be important regulators of GCs function. miR-34c involved in the regulation of various biological processes and was identified to be a pro-apoptotic and anti-proliferative factor in many cell types. However, the roles of miR-34c in GCs function remain unknown. In this study, we used Annexin V-FITC and EdU assays to demonstrate that miR-34c exerted pro-apoptotic and anti-proliferative effects in porcine GCs. Dual-luciferase reporter assays, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting identified Forkhead box O3a (FoxO3a) as a direct target gene of miR-34c. The overexpression of FoxO3a rescued the phenotypic change caused by miR-34c in porcine GCs. In conclusion, miR-34c regulate the function of porcine GCs by targeting FoxO3a.