Zhao Yubo, Zhang Qing, Wang Meng, Wu Bingrong, Zhao Saisai, Wei Xinhui, Diao Youxiang, Tang Yi, Hu Jingdong
College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, No.7 Panhe Street, Tai'an 271017, China.
College of Animal Science and Technology, Shandong Agricultural University, No.7 Panhe Street, Tai'an 271017, China.
Poult Sci. 2025 Mar;104(3):104847. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2025.104847. Epub 2025 Jan 23.
Reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) is a gamma retrovirus that can cause immunosuppression, dwarf syndrome and acute reticulocytoma in poultry. The molecular mechanism by which REV infection leads to immunosuppression and tumorigenesis is poorly understood. In this study, we elucidated the regulatory network of miRNA-mRNA and the major signaling pathways involved in REV-SNV infection. Therefore, we used the spleen necrosis virus (SNV) model of REV to inoculate one-day-old specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens and then performed global miRNA and mRNA expression profiling by conducting high-throughput sequencing of 18 bursa of Fabricius samples collected at 7, 14, and 21 dpi. In total, 213 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and 3311 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. In the miRNA-mRNA network constructed based on the association analysis of these DEMs and DEGs, 1376 negatively correlated miRNA-mRNA pairs were identified; among them, 82 pairs were identified at 7 dpi, 203 pairs were identified at 14 dpi, and 873 pairs were identified at 21 dpi. Moreover, the results of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis of the mRNAs in the network revealed greater enrichment of immune-related pathways, such as the immune system, signal transduction, cell growth and death, and signaling molecules and interactions. We confirmed the selected immune-related DEMs and their DEGs by conducting quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. These findings increased our understanding of the interactions of miRNAs and their target genes during infection with REV-SNV, and contributed to the understanding of host-virus interactions.
网状内皮组织增生症病毒（REV）是一种γ逆转录病毒，可导致家禽免疫抑制、侏儒综合征和急性网状细胞瘤。REV感染导致免疫抑制和肿瘤发生的分子机制尚不清楚。在本研究中，我们阐明了miRNA-mRNA调控网络以及REV-SNV感染所涉及的主要信号通路。因此，我们使用REV的脾坏死病毒（SNV）模型接种1日龄特定病原体-free（SPF）鸡，然后通过对在7、14和21 dpi收集的18个法氏囊样本进行高通量测序，对全局miRNA和mRNA表达谱进行分析。总共鉴定出213个差异表达的miRNA（DEM）和3311个差异表达的基因（DEG）。在基于这些DEM和DEG的关联分析构建的miRNA-mRNA网络中，鉴定出1376对负相关的miRNA-mRNA对；其中，7 dpi时鉴定出82对，14 dpi时鉴定出203对，21 dpi时鉴定出873对。此外，对网络中mRNA的京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）富集分析结果显示，免疫相关通路的富集程度更高，如免疫系统、信号转导、细胞生长和死亡以及信号分子和相互作用。我们通过进行定量RT-PCR（qRT-PCR）分析，证实了所选的免疫相关DEM及其DEG。这些发现增加了我们对REV-SNV感染期间miRNA与其靶基因相互作用的理解，并有助于理解宿主-病毒相互作用。
