Capraro Alexander, O'Meally Denis, Waters Shafagh A, Patel Hardip R, Georges Arthur, Waters Paul D
School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, UNSW Sydney, Kensington, NSW, 2052, Australia.
Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia.
Sci Rep. 2020 Oct 20;10(1):17854. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-73706-9.
Hibernation is a physiological state employed by many animals that are exposed to limited food and adverse winter conditions. Controlling tissue-specific and organism wide changes in metabolism and cellular function requires precise regulation of gene expression, including by microRNAs (miRNAs). Here we profile miRNA expression in the central bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) using small RNA sequencing of brain, heart, and skeletal muscle from individuals in late hibernation and four days post-arousal. A total of 1295 miRNAs were identified in the central bearded dragon genome; 664 of which were novel to central bearded dragon. We identified differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRs) in all tissues and correlated mRNA expression with known and predicted target mRNAs. Functional analysis of DEmiR targets revealed an enrichment of differentially expressed mRNA targets involved in metabolic processes. However, we failed to reveal biologically relevant tissue-specific processes subjected to miRNA-mediated regulation in heart and skeletal muscle. In brain, neuroprotective pathways were identified as potential targets regulated by miRNAs. Our data suggests that miRNAs are necessary for modulating the shift in cellular metabolism during hibernation and regulating neuroprotection in the brain. This study is the first of its kind in a hibernating reptile and provides key insight into this ephemeral phenotype.
冬眠是许多面临食物短缺和恶劣冬季条件的动物所采用的一种生理状态。控制组织特异性和机体整体的代谢及细胞功能变化需要精确调控基因表达，包括通过微小RNA（miRNA）进行调控。在此，我们利用小RNA测序技术，对处于冬眠后期和苏醒后四天的中部鬃狮蜥（Pogona vitticeps）的脑、心脏和骨骼肌进行分析，以描绘miRNA的表达情况。在中部鬃狮蜥基因组中总共鉴定出1295个miRNA；其中664个是中部鬃狮蜥特有的新miRNA。我们在所有组织中鉴定出差异表达的miRNA（DEmiR），并将mRNA表达与已知和预测的靶mRNA进行关联。对DEmiR靶标的功能分析揭示，参与代谢过程的差异表达mRNA靶标显著富集。然而，我们未能揭示心脏和骨骼肌中受miRNA介导调控的生物学相关组织特异性过程。在脑中，神经保护途径被确定为受miRNA调控的潜在靶标。我们的数据表明，miRNA对于调节冬眠期间细胞代谢的转变以及调节脑中的神经保护是必需的。这项研究是同类针对冬眠爬行动物的研究中的首例，为这种短暂的表型提供了关键见解。
