{
  "abstract": "TGF-β1, the core ligand of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling pathway, is crucial for follicular development and female fertility. However, it remains unclear whether microRNAs (miRNAs), an important class of epigenetic regulators, mediate the anti-atretic effect of TGF-β1. Here, joint transcriptomic analysis demonstrated that miR-184, an anti-atretic miRNA, was significantly elevated by TGF-β1 in sow granulosa cells (GCs). Quantitative detection, correlation analysis, luciferase reporter assays, and chromatin immunoprecipitation confirmed that TGF-β1 induces miR-184 transcription in a SMAD4-dependent manner, with SMAD4 acting as a transcriptional activator that directly binds to the miR-184 promoter under TGF-β1 stimulation. RNA-seq and bioinformatics analysis revealed that the target genes of miR-184 are enriched in the TGF-β pathway, with TGF-β1 being feedback-induced by miR-184. In vivo and in vitro mechanistic analyses revealed that miR-184, a small-activating RNA (saRNA), activates TGF-β1 transcription by binding to its promoter and forming an RNA-induced transcriptional activation complex with AGO2, CTR9, DHX9, and RNA polymerase II. Consequently, a novel positive feedback loop (TGF-β1/SMAD4/miR-184) was identified. In vitro GC and follicle culture systems validated the anti-apoptotic/atretic functions of this loop. Moreover, comparative analyses showed that the levels of TGF-β1 and miR-184 in the follicles of high-fertility sows were significantly higher than those in low-fertility sows. Our findings highlight the critical role of the interaction between TGF-β1 and miR-184 in inhibiting GC apoptosis and follicular atresia, providing potential targets for improving follicular development and sow fertility.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China",
    "College of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu 212400, China",
    "National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center for Animal Science, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China",
    "College of Food Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, Shandong 271018, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Qi-Qi Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hao-Yang Lu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Cheng Luo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhen-Nan Guo"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Xiao-Li Shi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Bao-Sen Shan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Shan-Feng Wang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Qi-Fa Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xing Du"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0rd0q7z43t482.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2025.578",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13720431/",
  "id": "0rd0q7z43t482",
  "issns": [
    "2095-8137"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2025.578",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1102|Reproductive Physiology in Livestock"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7211925340",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13720431",
  "pmid": "42706794",
  "published": "2026-09-18",
  "publisher": "Editorial Office of Zoological Research, Kunming Institute of Zoology, The Chinese Academy of Sciences",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0rd0q7z43t482.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-03T12:21:18Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13720431",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2025.578"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1102|Reproductive Physiology in Livestock",
      "subfield": "plant-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A novel positive feedback regulatory loop, TGF-β1/SMAD4/miR-184, controls the follicular development in sows",
  "title_text": "A novel positive feedback regulatory loop, TGF-β1/SMAD4/miR-184, controls the follicular development in sows",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-03T12:21:18Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0rd0q7z43t482",
  "venue": "Zoological Research",
  "versions": []
}