Regulates Geese Follicular Selection by Targeting to Regulate Granulosa Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis.

The regulation of granulosa cells (GCs) proliferation and apoptosis is the key step in follicular selection which determines the egg production performance of poultry. has been reported to be involved in regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of mammalian ovarian GCs. However, its role in regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of goose GCs is still unknown. In the present study, the GCs of pre-hierarchical follicles (phGCs, 8-10 mm) and those of hierarchical follicles (hGCs, F2-F4) were used to investigate the role of in cell proliferation and apoptosis during follicle selection. In phGCs and hGCs cultured in vitro, was found to negatively regulate cell proliferation and positively regulate cell apoptosis. The results of RNA-seq showed that BTB Domain Containing 10 () is predicted to be a key target gene for to regulate the proliferation and apoptosis of GCs. Furthermore, it is confirmed that can inhibit expression by targeting its 3'UTR region, and was revealed to promote the proliferation and inhibit the apoptosis of phGCs and hGCs. Additionally, co-transfection with effectively prevented mimic-induced cell apoptosis and the inhibition of cell proliferation. Meanwhile, also remarkably inhibited the expression of Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-Bisphosphate 3-Kinase Catalytic Subunit Beta ( and AKT Serine/Threonine Kinase 1 ( while it was significantly restored by . Overall, suppresses the proliferation and promotes the apoptosis of GCs through the downregulation of / signaling by targeting during follicular selection. Our study provides a theoretical reference for understanding the molecular mechanism of goose follicular selection, as well as a candidate gene for molecular marker-assisted breeding to improve the geese' egg production performance.