Stearic Acid Alters microRNA Profiles in Bovine Mammary Gland Epithelial Cells

Abstract Text: MicroRNAs (miRNA) are important regulators of cellular processes. The objective was to study whether the addition of stearic acid would alter the microRNA profile of bovine mammary epithelial cells. Cells were cultured and passaged in DMEM/F12 basic medium with 10% fetal bovine serum. For experimental assays, cells at 80% confluence were cultured in lactation medium (containing insulin, epidermal growth factor, transferring, hydrocortisone, progesterone and fatty acid free bovine serum albumin) with or without stearic acid (SA) for 24 h. A customized microarray containing 672 bovine miRNA was used to investigate their functional roles in bovine mammary gland epithelial cells in response to supplemental stearic acid (SA). Total miRNA expressed in the control and SA incubations was 157 and 165. Seventeen of 165 miRNA were differentially expressed with SA, and 12 (bta-miR-452, bta-miR-30c, bta-miR-362-5p, bta-miR-181a, bta-miR-194, bta-miR-2368, bta-miR-2893, bta-miR-2888, bta-miR-2374, bta-miR-29c, bta-miR-19a, and bta-miR-2411) were verified by real-time PCR. Using TargetScan, PicTar, GO and KEGG for functional analyses revealed that gene targets of miRNAs affected by SA are associated with regulation of transcription and mTOR signaling. This study provides novel data on miRNAs responsive to fatty acid in vitro.

Keywords: Stearic acid; MicroRNA; Lactational response