College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
Department of Animal Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, U.S.A.
Biosci Rep. 2021 Apr 30;41(4). doi: 10.1042/BSR20204297.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of endogenous single-stranded RNA molecules that play an important role in gene regulation in animals by pairing with target gene mRNA. Extensive evidence shows that miRNAs are key players in metabolic regulation and the development of obesity. However, the systemic understanding of miRNAs in the adipogenesis of obese rabbits need further investigation. Here, seven small RNA libraries from rabbits fed either a standard normal diet (SND; n=3) or high-fat diet (HFD; n=4) were constructed and sequenced. Differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were identified using the edgeR data analysis package from R. Software miRanda and RNAhybrid were used to predict the target genes of miRNAs. To further explore the functions of DE miRNAs, Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed. A total of 81449996 clean reads were obtained from the seven libraries, of which, 52 known DE miRNAs (24 up-regulated, 28 down-regulated) and 31 novel DE miRNAs (14 up-regulated, 17 down-regulated) were identified. GO enrichment analysis revealed that the DE miRNAs target genes were involved in intermediate filament cytoskeleton organization, intermediate filament-based process, and α-tubulin binding. DE miRNAs were involved in p53 signaling, linoleic acid metabolism, and other adipogenesis-related KEGG pathways. Our study further elucidates the possible functions of DE miRNAs in rabbit adipogenesis, contributing to the understanding of rabbit obesity.
微小 RNA（miRNA）是一类内源性单链 RNA 分子，通过与靶基因 mRNA 配对，在动物基因调控中发挥重要作用。大量证据表明，miRNA 是代谢调节和肥胖发生发展的关键因素。然而，肥胖兔脂肪生成中 miRNA 的系统认识仍需进一步研究。本研究构建并测序了 7 个分别来自正常饮食（SND）和高脂饮食（HFD）喂养的兔的小 RNA 文库。采用 R 软件 edgeR 数据分析包鉴定差异表达 miRNA（DE miRNA）。利用 miRanda 和 RNAhybrid 软件预测 miRNA 的靶基因。为进一步探讨 DE miRNA 的功能，进行了基因本体论（GO）和京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）通路富集分析。从 7 个文库中共获得 81449996 条清洁读段，其中鉴定出 52 个已知 DE miRNA（24 个上调，28 个下调）和 31 个新的 DE miRNA（14 个上调，17 个下调）。GO 富集分析显示，DE miRNA 的靶基因参与中间丝细胞骨架组织、中间丝基过程和α-微管蛋白结合。DE miRNA 参与 p53 信号、亚油酸代谢等与脂肪生成相关的 KEGG 通路。本研究进一步阐明了 DE miRNA 在兔脂肪生成中的可能功能，有助于理解兔肥胖。
