Analysis of miRNA-29a expression in porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non coding RNA that regulate gene expression as post transcriptional regulators in mammalian tissues. One of the miRNAs that participates in mammalian immune response is miR-29a. Despite the limited information of miR-29a in porcine cells, it is interesting to determine whether miR-29a involves in immune regulation in pig. In this study, we developed a quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction using SYBR detection system to examine the expression of primary miR-29a (pri-miR-29a) in porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in the presence of mitogen. PBMCs were stimulated with concanavalin A (Con A) at a concentration of 10 μg/ml for 12 and 24 hours. Results showed that the expression level of pri-miR-29a decreased significantly in Con A stimulated PBMCs, while interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) increased relatively to the untreated control cells at 12 and 24 hour. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate the inversed expression patterns of pri-miR-29a and IFN-γ in Con A stimulated porcine PBMCs. Future studies of the function of miR-29a should provide important insight into the roles of this microRNA in pig immune response.