Chang Cheng, He Xiaoyun, Di Ran, Wang Xiangyu, Han Miaoceng, Liang Chen, Chu Mingxing
State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing 100193, China.
College of Animal Science, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Dec 27;14(1):105. doi: 10.3390/ani14010105.
Litter size is an economically important trait in sheep, and it is a complex trait controlled by multiple genes in multiple organs. Among them, the regulation of lamb number trait by the thyroid gland is a very important part. However, the molecular mechanisms of the thyroid gland in sheep reproduction remain unclear. Here, RNA-seq was used to detect transcriptome expression patterns in the thyroid gland between follicular phase (FP) and luteal phase (LP) in (MM) and ++ (ww) STH sheep, respectively, and to identify differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs) associated with reproduction. Bioinformatic analysis of the source genes of these DECs revealed that they can be enriched in multiple signaling pathways involved in the reproductive process of animals. We found that the source genes of these DECs, such as , , , and may play important roles in the reproductive process of animals. To better understand the function of these DECs, we constructed circRNA-miRNA co-expression networks. Dual luciferase reporter assays suggested that a ceRNA regulatory mechanism between circ_0003259-oar-miR-133- and circ_0012128-oar-miR-370-3p- may hold. All of these DEC expression profiles in the thyroid gland provide a novel resource for elucidating the regulatory mechanisms underlying STH sheep prolificacy.
产羔数是绵羊的一个重要经济性状，它是由多个器官中的多个基因控制的复杂性状。其中，甲状腺对羔羊数量性状的调控是非常重要的一部分。然而，绵羊繁殖过程中甲状腺的分子机制仍不清楚。在此，分别使用RNA测序来检测MM和++（ww）STH绵羊卵泡期（FP）和黄体期（LP）甲状腺中的转录组表达模式，并鉴定与繁殖相关的差异表达环状RNA（DECs）。对这些DECs的来源基因进行生物信息学分析发现，它们可富集于参与动物生殖过程的多个信号通路中。我们发现这些DECs的来源基因，如、、、和可能在动物生殖过程中发挥重要作用。为了更好地理解这些DECs的功能，我们构建了环状RNA-微小RNA共表达网络。双荧光素酶报告基因检测表明，circ_0003259-oar-miR-133-和circ_0012128-oar-miR-370-3p-之间可能存在竞争性内源RNA调控机制。甲状腺中所有这些DECs的表达谱为阐明STH绵羊多产性的调控机制提供了新的资源。
