Abstract
BackgroundmiRNA is one of the crucial roles in the complex and dynamic network that regulates the development of skeletal muscle. The landscape of skeletal muscle miRNAs from fetus to adult in New Zealand rabbits has not been revealed yet.ResultsIn this study, nine RNA-seq libraries of fetus, child and adult rabbits’ leg muscles were constructed. A total of 278 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were identified. In the fetus vs. child group, the main functional enrichments were involved in membrane and transport. Pathway enriched terms of up-regulated DEmiRNAs were connected with the differentiation and hypertrophy of skeletal muscle, and down-regulated ones were related to muscle structure and metabolic capacity. In the child vs. adult group, functions were associated to positioning and transportation, and pathways were relevant to ECM, muscle structure and hypertrophy. Finally, ocu-miR-185-3p and ocu-miR-370-3p, which had the most target genes, were identified as hub-miRNAs in these two groups.ConclusionsIn short, we summarized the highly expressed and uniquely expressed DEmiRNAs of fetus, child and adult rabbits’ leg muscles. Besides, the potential functional changes of miRNAs in two consecutive stages have been explored. Among them, the ocu-miR-185-3p and ocu-miR-370-3p with the most target genes were selected as hub-miRNAs. These data improved the understanding of the regulatory molecules of meat rabbit development, and provided a novel perspective for molecular breeding of meat rabbits.
Highlights
MiRNA is one of the crucial roles in the complex and dynamic network that regulates the development of skeletal muscle
This study explored the function of Differential expressed miRNA (DEmiRNA) and selected hub-miRNAs in the leg skeletal muscles of rabbits at the fetus, child and adult stages
In addition to miR-1 and miR-206, miRNA-143 targets Igfbp5 to mediate senescence of muscle stem cells, thereby affecting myogenesis [20]. miR-21, a negative regulator of PTEN expression, leads to changes in Akt activity, consistent with changes in insulin sensitivity in muscles [21]. These findings suggested that miR-378-3p and miR-26a-5p, which have not been studied in skeletal muscle development, may have necessary roles
Summary
MiRNA is one of the crucial roles in the complex and dynamic network that regulates the development of skeletal muscle. The landscape of skeletal muscle miRNAs from fetus to adult in New Zealand rabbits has not been revealed yet. Rabbit meat is considered to be one of the healthiest meats and a functional food due to its excellent nutrition and dietary characteristics [1]. It contains high protein, essential amino acids and a variety of trace elements. The type and characteristic of muscle fibers in skeletal muscle development affect the quality of meat [4].
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