Zhang Yang, Wang Haiwei, Li Xingqi, Yang Chaowu, Yu Chunlin, Cui Zhifu, Liu Anfang, Wang Qigui, Liu Lingbin
College of Animal Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.
Chongqing Academy of Animal Sciences, Chongqing, China.
Front Vet Sci. 2024 May 30;11:1375042. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1375042. eCollection 2024.
The Chengkou mountain chicken, a native Chinese poultry breed, holds significant importance in the country's poultry sector due to its delectable meat and robust stress tolerance. Muscle growth and development are pivotal characteristics in poultry breeding, with muscle fiber development during the embryonic period crucial for determining inherent muscle growth potential. Extensive evidence indicates that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play a regulatory role in muscle growth and development. Among ncRNAs, circular RNAs (circRNAs), characterized by a closed-loop structure, have been shown to modulate biological processes through the regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs). This study seeks to identify and characterize the spatiotemporal-specific expression of circRNAs during embryonic muscle development in Chengkou mountain chicken, and to construct the potential regulatory network of circRNAs-miRNA-mRNAs. The muscle fibers of HE-stained sections became more distinct, and their boundaries were more defined over time. Subsequent RNA sequencing of 12 samples from four periods generated 9,904 novel circRNAs, including 917 differentially expressed circRNAs. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA)-identified circRNA source genes significantly enriched pathways related to cell fraction, cell growth, and muscle fiber growth regulation. Furthermore, a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network constructed using combined data of present and previous differentially expressed circRNAs, miRNA, and mRNA revealed that several circRNA transcripts regulate , , , and proteins. These findings provide insight into the potential pathways and mechanisms through which circRNAs regulate embryonic muscle development in poultry, a theoretical support for trait improvement in domestic chickens.
城口山地鸡是中国本土家禽品种，因其肉质鲜美且抗应激能力强，在我国家禽业中具有重要地位。肌肉生长和发育是家禽育种的关键特性，胚胎期的肌纤维发育对于确定内在肌肉生长潜力至关重要。大量证据表明，非编码RNA（ncRNAs）在肌肉生长和发育中起调节作用。在ncRNAs中，具有闭环结构的环状RNA（circRNAs）已被证明可通过调节微小RNA（miRNAs）来调控生物学过程。本研究旨在鉴定和表征城口山地鸡胚胎肌肉发育过程中circRNAs的时空特异性表达，并构建circRNAs-miRNA-mRNAs的潜在调控网络。随着时间的推移，HE染色切片中的肌纤维变得更加清晰，其边界也更加明确。随后对四个时期的12个样本进行RNA测序，共产生了9904个新的circRNAs，其中包括917个差异表达的circRNAs。加权基因共表达网络分析（WGCNA）确定的circRNA来源基因显著富集了与细胞组分、细胞生长和肌纤维生长调节相关的途径。此外，利用当前和先前差异表达的circRNAs、miRNA和mRNA的组合数据构建的竞争性内源RNA（ceRNA）网络显示，几种circRNA转录本调节 、 、 和 蛋白。这些发现为circRNAs调节家禽胚胎肌肉发育的潜在途径和机制提供了见解，为家鸡性状改良提供了理论支持。
