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Review
. 2019 Jan 10;17(1):9.
doi: 10.1186/s12958-018-0450-y.

MicroRNAs in ovarian follicular atresia and granulosa cell apoptosis

Jinbi Zhang  1 , Yinxue Xu  1 , Honglin Liu  1 , Zengxiang Pan  2
Affiliations
Review

MicroRNAs in ovarian follicular atresia and granulosa cell apoptosis

Jinbi Zhang et al. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. .

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, noncoding RNAs that posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression. In the past decade, studies on miRNAs in ovaries have revealed the key roles of miRNAs in ovarian development and function. In this review, we first introduce the development of follicular atresia research and then summarize genome-wide studies on the ovarian miRNA profiles of different mammalian species. Differentially expressed miRNA profiles during atresia and other biological processes are herein compared. In addition, current knowledge on confirmed functional miRNAs during the follicular atresia process, which is mostly indicated by granulosa cell (GC) apoptosis, is presented. The main miRNA families and clusters, including the let-7 family, miR-23-27-24 cluster, miR-183-96-182 cluster and miR-17-92 cluster, and related pathways that are involved in follicular atresia are thoroughly summarized. A deep understanding of the roles of miRNA networks will not only help elucidate the mechanisms of GC apoptosis, follicular development, atresia and their disorders but also offer new diagnostic and treatment strategies for infertility and other ovarian dysfunctions.

Keywords: Follicular atresia; Granulosa cell apoptosis; MicroRNA; Ovary.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A glance at the main miRNAs that play roles in atresia and follicular development processes. Note: a larger font size represents a higher frequency of a certain miRNA that was reported in related studies
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