Sperm-borne miR-202 targets <i>SEPT7</i> and regulates first cleavage of bovine embryos via cytoskeletal remodeling

Abstract

In mammals, sperm-borne regulators can be transferred to oocytes during fertilization and have different effects on the formation of pronuclei, the first cleavage of zygotes, the development of preimplantation embryos and even the metabolism of individuals after birth. The regulatory role of sperm microRNAs (miRNAs) in the development of bovine preimplantation embryos has not been reported in detail. By constructing and screening miRNA expression libraries, we found that miR-202 was highly enriched in bovine sperm. As a target gene of miR-202, co-injection of <i>SEPT7</i> siRNA can partially reverse the accelerated first cleavage of bovine embryos caused by miR-202 inhibitor. In addition, both a miR-202 mimic and <i>SEPT7</i> siRNA delayed the first cleavage of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos, suggesting that miR-202-<i>SEPT7</i> mediates the delay of first cleavage of bovine embryos. By further exploring the relationship between miR-202/SEPT7, HDAC6 and acetylated α-tubulin during embryonic development, we investigated how sperm-borne miR-202 regulates the first cleavage process of bovine embryos by <i>SEPT7</i> and demonstrate the potential of sperm-borne miRNAs to improve the efficiency of SCNT.