Abstract
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play important roles in adipogenesis. However, studies on circRNA expression profiles associated with the development of abdominal adipose tissue are lacking in chickens. In this study, 12 cDNA libraries were constructed from the abdominal adipose tissue of Chinese domestic Gushi chickens at 6, 14, 22, and 30 weeks. A total of 1,766 circRNAs were identified by Illumina HiSeq 2500 sequencing. These circRNAs were primarily distributed on chr1 through chr10 and sex chromosomes, and 84.95% of the circRNAs were from gene exons. Bioinformatic analysis showed that each circRNA has 35 miRNA binding sites on average, and 62.71% have internal ribosome entry site (IRES) elements. Meanwhile, these circRNAs were primarily concentrated in TPM < 0.1 and TPM > 60, and their numbers accounted for 18.90% and 80.51%, respectively, exhibiting specific expression patterns in chicken abdominal adipose tissue. In addition, 275 differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs were identified by comparison analysis. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the parental genes of DE circRNAs were primarily involved in biological processes and pathways related to lipid metabolism, such as regulation of fat cell differentiation, fatty acid homeostasis, and triglyceride homeostasis, as well as fatty acid biosynthesis, fatty acid metabolism, and glycerolipid metabolism. Furthermore, ceRNA regulatory networks related to abdominal adipose development were constructed. The results of this study indicated that circRNAs can regulate lipid metabolism, adipocyte proliferation and differentiation, and cell junctions during abdominal adipose tissue development in chickens through complex ceRNA networks between circRNAs, miRNAs, genes, and pathways. The results of this study may help to expand the number of known circRNAs in abdominal adipose tissue and provide a valuable resource for further research on the function of circRNAs in chicken abdominal adipose tissue.
Highlights
IntroductionExcessive fat accumulation in the abdominal cavity reduces feed utilization efficiency and affects meat quality in poultry production [2]
Chickens are an economically important agricultural animal [1]
The present study identified many circRNAs and differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs related to abdominal adipose tissue development and assessed the characteristics of circRNAs and their expression profiles in abdominal adipose tissue during late development in Gushi chickens
Summary
Excessive fat accumulation in the abdominal cavity reduces feed utilization efficiency and affects meat quality in poultry production [2]. Demonstrating the molecular mechanism governing chicken abdominal adipose tissue development is of great significance to chicken genetic breeding and production. CircRNAs are a type of nonphosphorylated, single-stranded, covalently closed noncoding RNA that is widely present in various tissues and cell types of different species [3]. Many studies have shown that circRNAs may be involved in the regulation of various biological processes and affect cell physiology through various molecular mechanisms [4]. Some studies have shown that circRNAs are involved in the regulation of adipogenesis. CircRNAs can be employed as new targets to elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying chicken abdominal fat development
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