bta-mir-494: bta-mir-494 is a microRNA (miRNA) that plays a regulatory role in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway in bovine follicular cells (FCs) [PMC5602670]. It is involved in various cellular processes, including protein synthesis, DNA repair, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis [PMC5602670]. This miRNA has been identified as a regulator of the PTEN gene, which is a critical component of the PI3K-Akt pathway [PMC5602670]. Experimental validation using a luciferase assay confirmed that bta-mir-494 binds to the PTEN 3' untranslated region (UTR), leading to reduced luciferase activity and suggesting that bta-mir-494 can downregulate PTEN expression [PMC5602670]. The expression levels of bta-mir-494 are inversely correlated with PTEN levels in FCs; lower levels of bta-mir-494 are associated with higher PTEN expression and reduced activity of the PI3K-Akt pathway, which is indicative of poor oocyte quality [PMC5602670]. Conversely, higher levels of bta-mir-494 are associated with follicles containing oocytes with high developmental potential [PMC5602670]. Additionally, bta-mir-494 has been detected in extracellular vesicles (EVs) from ovarian follicular fluid and uterine fluid and has been implicated in processes such as implantation in mice [PMC9594899]. The last sentence regarding differential expression patterns in response to infections such as S. uberis and LPS stimulation in other species has been removed due to the incomplete context and lack of a specific reference to support the statement.