Abstract
Sperm motility is the most important indicator in evaluating roosters’ fecundity. However, the genetic mechanisms underlying chicken sperm motility is not yet clear. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) play epigenetic roles in reproduction. In this study, RNA sequencing was employed to profile the testis transcriptome (lncRNA and mRNA) of six Beijing-you cocks divergent in sperm motility. In total, 2,597 lncRNAs were identified in the chicken testis, including 1,267 lincRNAs, 975 anti-sense lncRNAs, and 355 intronic lncRNAs. They shared similar features with previous studies. Of these lncRNAs, 124 were differentially expressed. Among 17,690 mRNAs detected in this study, 544 were differentially expressed, including a bunch of genes with known functions on sperm motility. GO annotation analysis revealed these genes were involved in ATP binding, cilium assembly, and oxidation-reduction processes. Integrating analysis of lncRNA and mRNA profiles predicted 10 lncRNA-gene pairs, including 8 co-regulated and 2 inversely-regulated pairs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first genome-wide investigation of the lncRNAs in the chicken testis associated with sperm motility. Our results provided a catalog of chicken testis lncRNAs and genes worthy of further studies to understand their roles in cocks’ reproductive performance regulation.
Highlights
Long non-coding RNA, one of the most high-expressed ncRNAs in animals, exerts critical roles through regulating gene expression in diverse biological processes including reproduction[10,11,12]
A total of 2,597 Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), 544 differentially expressed mRNAs, and 124 differentially expressed lncRNAs were obtained from two groups
Consistent with previous reports[14, 21], we found that only 20% of lncRNAs were mapped with reported chicken lncRNAs from ALDB database, suggesting that lncRNAs in chicken testis tended to be highly tissue-specific
Summary
Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), one of the most high-expressed ncRNAs in animals, exerts critical roles through regulating gene expression in diverse biological processes including reproduction[10,11,12]. LncRNAs have been identified in the testis of human[13], mouse[14], and pig[15], and play crucial roles in sperm development[16]. The expression profile of lncRNAs in chicken testis and functions associated with sperm motility remain unknown. A high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was employed to profile the testis transcriptome of six Beijing-you cocks divergent in sperm motility. The aims were to discover and characterize lncRNAs in chicken testis tissue and identify key genes, lncRNAs, and pathways that are associated with sperm www.nature.com/scientificreports/. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first genome-wide investigation of the lncRNAs in the chicken testis associated with sperm motility. Our findings enable a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms implicated in cocks’ reproductive performance
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