Abstract
Mammalian reproductive health affects the entire reproductive cycle starting with the ovarian function through implantation and fetal growth. Various environmental and physiological factors contribute to disturbed reproductive health status leading to infertility problems in mammalian species. In the last couple of decades a significant number of studies have been conducted to investigate the transcriptome of reproductive tissues and organs in relation to the various reproductive health issues including endometritis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), preeclampsia, and various age-associated reproductive disorders. Among others, the post-transcriptional regulation of genes by small noncoding miRNAs contributes to the observed transcriptome dysregulation associated with reproductive pathophysiological conditions. MicroRNAs as a class of non-coding RNAs are also known to be involved in various pathophysiological conditions either in cellular cytoplasm or they can be released to the extracellular fluid via membrane-bounded extracellular vesicles and proteins. The present review summarizes the cellular and extracellular miRNAs and their association with the etiology of major reproductive pathologies including PCOS, endometritis, IUGR and age-associated disorders in various mammalian species.
Highlights
Micro RNAs are short noncoding RNA molecules and comprise 1–5% of animal genes [1]
Several environmental and physiological factors can contribute to the pathophysiology of reproductive disorders, microRNAs have emerged as major players in the reproductive health of animals
One Micro RNAs (miRNAs) can target hundreds of different genes and several molecular pathways involved in reproductive health and efficiency of mammals are regulated by miRNAs
Summary
Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are short noncoding RNA molecules and comprise 1–5% of animal genes [1]. In addition to the gene transcripts, several classes of noncoding regulatory miRNA have been associated with this abnormality with a significant impact on fetal development and offspring health It is a well-established fact that increasing age incurred a pathophysiological condition to a growing human oocyte, which is mostly associated with aneuploidy [13,14]. In this review data on the identification, characterization, and functional analysis of cellular and extracellular miRNAs in mammalian reproductive health associated with PCOS, endometritis, IUGR, and age-related disorders are presented. Sci. 2021, 22, 938 oligomenorrhea or amenorrhea, obstetrical complications, obesity, excess body and facial hair (hirsutism), acne, pelvic pain, low fertility, pregnant failure, and patches of thick and darker skin [18,19] It is associated with infertility and with increased risk of metabolic and other disorders including but not limited to insulin resistance, diabetes, obesity, mood disorders, obstructive sleep apnea, endometrial cancer, and cardiovascular diseases [7]. Recent molecular genetic analyses including sequencing, expression profiling, and genome-wide association studies revealed the involvement of numerous miRNAs in the etiology of PCOS [21,22,23]
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