College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China.
College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450046, China.
Res Vet Sci. 2021 Nov;140:233-241. doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2021.09.004. Epub 2021 Sep 10.
In modern poultry production, stress-induced immunosuppression leads to serious economic losses and harm to animals, but the molecular mechanisms governing the effects of stress on the chicken thymus have not been elucidated. In this study, we successfully constructed a stress model of 7-day-old Gushi chickens by adding exogenous corticosterone (CORT) to their diet and determined the microRNA (miRNA) expression profile of thymus tissues using RNA-seq technology. The results identified 51 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs), including 30 upregulated miRNAs and 21 downregulated miRNAs. A total of 164 target genes of the DEMs were predicted based on bioinformatic analysis methods, and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses of these target genes were performed. The results from the GO enrichment analysis of the target genes identified 349 significantly enriched terms, including terms associated with the stress response and immune function that are primarily involved in the negative regulation of phagocytosis, the response to stress and the cellular response to stimulus. The KEGG pathway analysis indicated that the enriched pathways related to immunity or stress included the MAPK signaling pathway, lysosomes, endocytosis, and the RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway. Among these pathways, DEMs (such as gga-miR-2954, gga-miR-106-5p, and gga-miR-16-5p) and corresponding target genes (such as IL11Ra, SIKE1, and CX3CL1) might be strongly correlated with thymic immunity in chickens. The results of this study provide a reference for further research on the molecular regulatory mechanisms governing the effect of stress on the immune function of the chicken thymus.
在现代家禽生产中,应激引起的免疫抑制导致严重的经济损失和动物伤害,但调控应激对鸡胸腺影响的分子机制尚不清楚。本研究通过在饲料中添加外源性皮质酮(CORT)成功构建了 7 日龄固始鸡应激模型,采用 RNA-seq 技术测定了胸腺组织的 microRNA(miRNA)表达谱。结果鉴定出 51 个差异表达 miRNA(DEMs),包括 30 个上调 miRNA 和 21 个下调 miRNA。基于生物信息学分析方法共预测到 164 个 DEMs 的靶基因,并对这些靶基因进行了基因本体(GO)富集和京都基因与基因组百科全书(KEGG)通路分析。GO 富集分析结果鉴定出 349 个显著富集的 GO 术语,主要涉及与应激反应和免疫功能相关的术语,这些术语主要涉及吞噬作用、应激反应和细胞对刺激的反应的负调控。KEGG 通路分析表明,与免疫或应激相关的富集通路包括 MAPK 信号通路、溶酶体、内吞作用和 RIG-I 样受体信号通路。在这些通路中,DEMs(如 gga-miR-2954、gga-miR-106-5p 和 gga-miR-16-5p)及其对应的靶基因(如 IL11Ra、SIKE1 和 CX3CL1)可能与鸡胸腺免疫密切相关。本研究结果为进一步研究应激对鸡胸腺免疫功能的分子调控机制提供了参考。