MicroRNA expression profile in extracellular vesicles derived from ALV-J infected chicken semen.

MicroRNAs(miRNAs) have been reported to regulate gene expression in many processes. MiRNA in extracellular vesicles (EVs) also have been widely investigated, while there is no studies of miRNAs in seminal EVs. Subgroup J of Avian leukosis virus (ALV-J) can be transmitted vertically, but the mechanism of it is not clear enough. This study was to examine the miRNA expression profile in seminal EVs and inquire into the relation between it and the vertical transmission by performing gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis. Here, we first isolated and characterized seminal EVs by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis、Western Blot and Transmission electron microscopy experiments. By deep sequencing of each EVs miRNA library, 9 typical differentially expressed miRNA, including 6 up-regulated and 3 down-regulated, were identified. Gene target prediction, GO annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed possible function associated with these miRNAs. Overall, these findings will increase our understanding of the content and composition of miRNA in seminal EVs and provide new insights into the important role of the seminal EVs miRNAs regulation in ALV-J transmission.