Knockdown of Y-box binding protein 1 induces autophagy in early porcine embryos

Wen-Jie Jiang; Song-Hee Lee; Geun Heo; Hak Jae Chung; Eun Seok Cho; Soo Jin Sa; Shinichi Hochi; Xiang-Shun Cui

doi:10.3389/fcell.2023.1238546

Knockdown of Y-box binding protein 1 induces autophagy in early porcine embryos

Front Cell Dev Biol. 2023 Oct 30:11:1238546. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1238546. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Wen-Jie Jiang¹, Song-Hee Lee¹, Geun Heo¹, Hak Jae Chung², Eun Seok Cho², Soo Jin Sa³, Shinichi Hochi⁴, Xiang-Shun Cui¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Science, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea.
² Swine Science Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Cheonan-si, Republic of Korea.
³ Planning and Coordination Division, National Institute of Animal Science, Iseo-myeon, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda, Japan.

Abstract

Y-box binding protein 1 (YBX1) plays important roles in RNA stabilization, translation, transcriptional regulation, and mitophagy. However, its effects on porcine preimplantation embryos remain unclear. In this study, we knocked down YBX1 in the one-cell (1C) stage embryo via small interfering RNA microinjection to determine its function in porcine embryo development. The mRNA level of YBX1 was found to be highly expressed at the four-cell (4C) stage in porcine embryos compared with one-cell (1C) and two-cell (2C) stages. The number of blastocysts was reduced following YBX1 knockdown. Notably, YBX1 knockdown decreased the phosphatase and tensin homolog-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) and parkin RBR E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (PRKN) mRNA levels. YBX1 knockdown also decreased PINK1, active mitochondria, and sirtuin 1 levels, indicating reduced mitophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. Furthermore, YBX1 knockdown increased the levels of glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and calnexin, leading to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Additionally, YBX1 knockdown increased autophagy and apoptosis. In conclusion, knockdown of YBX1 decreases mitochondrial function, while increasing ER stress and autophagy during embryonic development.

Keywords: YBX1; autophagy; er stress; mitochondria; pig.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea grant funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. 2022R1A2C300769), Republic of Korea.