ssc-mir-18a: Ssc-mir-18a is one of the six mature miRNAs found in castrated male pigs, along with ssc-miR-17 and ssc-miR-19a [PMC3901342]. In a study, ssc-mir-18a was found to be downregulated in comparison to other miRNAs, such as ssc-miR-10b [PMC4545981]. The expression levels of ssc-mir-18a were also found to be downregulated in PPV-infected cells compared to uninfected cells [PMC4545981]. The negative correlation between the expression of miRNAs and their target transcripts suggests the involvement of ssc-mir-18a in important signaling cascades related to apoptosis and viral recognition [PMC5909910]. Ssc-mir-18a was also found to target IFIH1 and TLR3, which are involved in apoptosis-related gene expression [PMC5909910]. Ssc-mir-18a, along with other miRNAs (ssc-miR-15a, ssc-miR-21, ssc-miR29b, and hsa-miR5903p), were significantly upregulated on day 3 after challenge but not regulated at other time points [PMC5909910]. Additionally, there are other miRNAs such as sscmiR7 that are also involved in these processes [PMC5909910].