Figure 4.

miR‐224 directly targets the DMRT1 via its 3′‐UTR in spermatogonial stem cells. (A) Target region of DMRT1 3′‐UTR for miR‐224, with complementary sequences highlighted in blue. (B) The effect of miR‐224 on the activity of firefly luciferase reporter containing either wild‐type (WT) or mutant type (Mut) 3′‐UTR was tested using luciferase reporter gene assays. (C and D) The effect of miR‐224 on the expression levels of DMRT1 was examined by qRT‐PCR and Western blot analysis. Data are presented as mean ± SD from three independent experiments. **P < 0.01 compared with the control group. UTR, untranslated region.