Regulation of pig ovarian function

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According to the Canadian Pork Council, over 28 million pigs were marketed within Canada, and 5 million hogs and 5 million dollars of pork products were exported worldwide in 2020. As reproductive efficiency is a key component for profitability in the pork industry, a deeper understanding of the regulation of porcine ovarian function is critical for enhancing pig reproduction and success in the pork industry. The long-term goal of my research program is to improve our understanding of pig ovarian physiology and thereby develop strategies to enhance sow productivity. In the ovary, estradiol acts in concert with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) to facilitate folliculogenesis. As a secreted hormone, estradiol modulates the of female reproductive function, such as oocyte growth, maturation and the uterus development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that interact with the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of their target transcripts to suppress expression. With each miRNA able to target multiple genes, they are known as important regulators of diverse physiological processes. Autophagy is a major cellular process that removes damaged macromolecules, organelles and plays a crucial role in maintaining cell homeostasis. It was recently reported that autophagy involves in follicular development, and is responded to gonadotropin. With the funding support from my previous and current NSERC Discovery grants, we have established that miR-378, -21 and -574 play multiple roles in regulating pig granulosa estradiol production and oocyte maturation. We plan to further study the involvement of autophagy in miRNA regulation of ovarian function. Given the importance of these miRNAs, we also set to investigate how their expression is regulated in the ovary. Below are the specific objectives of the proposed study. 1.To test the hypothesis that miRNA regulated autophagy is involved in estradiol production by granulosa cell 2.To test the hypothesis that the expression of miRNA-21, -378 and -574 miRNAs is regulated by endocrine/paracrine factors in the ovary 3.To test the hypothesis that molecular marker(s) in these important miRNA regions can be identified for selection of potentially high fertility gilts Significance:  The proposed study will further reveal the role and mechanism of miRNAs in ovarian function regulation and offer novel insights on how miRNA expression in the ovary is regulated. Moreover, findings from these experiments will aid our study in developing strategies for selection of gilts/sows with high fertility potential. Thus, this research program will continuously contribute to our understanding of porcine ovarian physiology, which may have potential applications into improving pig reproduction efficiency. . This multidisciplinary research program also offers an outstanding and inclusive training opportunity for the next generation of scientists.