Yan Xiang-Min, Zhang Zhe, Meng Yu, Li Hong-Bo, Gao Liang, Luo Dan, Jiang Hao, Gao Yan, Yuan Bao, Zhang Jia-Bao
Department of Laboratory Animals, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
Institute of Animal Husbandry, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Husbandry, Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China.
PeerJ. 2020 Mar 16;8:e8646. doi: 10.7717/peerj.8646. eCollection 2020.
Xinjiang brown cattle have better meat quality than Kazakh cattle. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a type of RNA that can participate in the regulation of gene transcription. Whether circRNAs are differentially expressed in the longissimus dorsi between these two types of cattle and whether differentially expressed circRNAs regulate muscle formation and differentiation are still unknown. In this study, we established two RNA-seq libraries, each of which consisted of three samples. A total of 5,177 circRNAs were identified in longissimus dorsi samples from Kazakh cattle and Xinjiang brown cattle using the Illumina platform, 46 of which were differentially expressed. Fifty-five Gene Ontology terms were significantly enriched, and 12 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways were identified for the differentially expressed genes. Muscle biological processes were associated with the origin genes of the differentially expressed circRNAs. In addition, we randomly selected six overexpressed circRNAs and compared their levels in longissimus dorsi tissue from Kazakh cattle and Xinjiang brown cattle using RT-qPCR. Furthermore, we predicted 66 interactions among 65 circRNAs and 14 miRNAs using miRanda and established a coexpression network. A few microRNAs known for their involvement in myoblast regulation, such as miR-133b and miR-664a, were identified in this network. Notably, bta_circ_03789_1 and bta_circ_05453_1 are potential miRNA sponges that may regulate insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor expression. These findings provide an important reference for prospective investigations of the role of circRNA in longissimus muscle growth and development. This study provides a theoretical basis for targeting circRNAs to improve beef quality and taste.
新疆褐牛的肉质优于哈萨克牛。环状RNA（circRNAs）是一类可参与基因转录调控的RNA。这两种牛的背最长肌中circRNAs是否存在差异表达，以及差异表达的circRNAs是否调控肌肉形成和分化仍不清楚。在本研究中，我们建立了两个RNA测序文库，每个文库由三个样本组成。使用Illumina平台在哈萨克牛和新疆褐牛的背最长肌样本中总共鉴定出5177个circRNAs，其中46个存在差异表达。55个基因本体论术语显著富集，并且为差异表达基因鉴定出12条京都基因与基因组百科全书通路。肌肉生物学过程与差异表达circRNAs的起源基因相关。此外，我们随机选择了6个过表达的circRNAs，并使用RT-qPCR比较它们在哈萨克牛和新疆褐牛背最长肌组织中的水平。此外，我们使用miRanda预测了65个circRNAs与14个miRNAs之间的66种相互作用，并建立了共表达网络。在这个网络中鉴定出了一些已知参与成肌细胞调控的微小RNA，如miR-133b和miR-664a。值得注意的是，bta_circ_03789_1和bta_circ_05453_1是潜在的miRNA海绵，可能调控胰岛素样生长因子1受体的表达。这些发现为circRNA在背最长肌生长发育中作用的前瞻性研究提供了重要参考。本研究为靶向circRNAs改善牛肉品质和风味提供了理论依据。
