Discovery of Differentially Expressed MicroRNAs in Porcine Ovaries With Smaller and Larger Litter Size.

The number of live births in a litter is an important reproductive trait, and is one of the main indicators which reflect the production level and economic benefit of a pig farm. The ovary is an important reproductive organ of the sow, and it undergoes a series of biological processes during each estrous cycle. A complex transcriptional network containing coding and non-coding RNAs in the ovary closely regulates the reproductive capability of sows.