The Expression Profile And Function Research Of Long Non-coding RNAs In Female Mice Gonads During The Process Of Development

Mammalian ovary development and oogenesis play critical roles in female fertility and continuation of a species.Previous research into the molecular mechanisms of ovary development and oogenesis has largely focused on the role of protein-coding genes.Recently,it has become apparent that large numbers of long(>200 nt)non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)are transcribed from mammalian genomes and that lncRNAs perform important regulatory functions in various developmental processes.However,the expression of lncRNAs and their biological functions in female meiosis initiation and gonads development remain unknown.In this study,we employed microarray technology to examine IncRNA and mRNA expression profiles of mouse female and male gonads at specific time points(11.5 dpc,12.5 dpc,13.5 dpc and 14.5 dpc).We found that 16261lncRNAs were expressed above background levels during female meiosis initiation and gonads development,of which 1635 lncRNAs were differentially expressed,many correlating with sex determination(marker gene:Fst),meiosis initiation(marker gene:Msxl),synapsis(marker gene:sycp3,syce1,Tex12),double-strand breaks and homologous recombinational repair(marker gene:Mei1,Dmc1).Interesting,we found two lncRNAs(ENSMUST00000138201,uc009erd.1)that exhibited a highly correlated expression profile with Msx1.RA led to increased expression levels of ENSMUST00000138201 and uc009erd.1 in F9 cells.ENSMUST00000138201 or uc009erd.1 overexpression stimulates Stra8 transcription in F9 cells.These results suggested that ENSMUST00000138201 and uc009erd.l required for meiosis initiation in the female germ line.Taken together,our findings represent the first systematic investigation of lncRNA expression in the mammalian goands and provide a solid foundation for further research into the molecular mechanisms of IncRNAs function in mammalian female meiosis initiation and gonads development.