Abstract
Follicular development and maturation has a significant impact on goat reproductive performance, and it is therefore important to understand the molecular basis of this process. The importance of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in mammalian reproduction has been established, but little is known about the roles of lncRNAs in different follicular stages, especially in goats. In this study, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of large follicles (>10 mm) and small follicles (<3 mm) of Chuanzhong black goats was performed to investigate the regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs and mRNAs in follicular development and maturation. A total of 8 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) and 1,799 DEmRNAs were identified, and the majority of these were upregulated in small follicles. MRO, TC2N, CDO1, and NTRK1 were potentially associated with follicular maturation. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the DEmRNAs involved in ovarian steroidogenesis (BMP6, CYP11A1, CYP19A1, 3BHSD, STAR, LHCGR, and CYP51A1) and cAMP signaling play roles in regulating follicular maturation and developmental inhibition respectively. Five target pairs of DElncRNA-DEmRNA, namely, ENSCHIT00000001255-OTX2, ENSCHIT00000006005-PEG3, ENSCHIT00000009455-PIWIL3, ENSCHIT00000007977-POMP, and ENSCHIT00000000834-ACTR3 in co-expression analysis provide a clue in follicular development and maturation of lncRNA-mRNA interaction. Our findings provide a valuable resource for lncRNA studies, and could potentially provide a deeper understanding of the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms of goat follicular development and maturation.
Highlights
In domestic animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats, follicles develop in the form of wave-like pattern during oestrous cycles (Evans, 2003)
Goat follicle samples deposited in a database were analyzed to identify the mRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) that are potentially involved in the regulatory mechanisms underlying follicular development and maturation
A total of 8 DElncRNAs and 1,799 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) were identified by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq)
Summary
In domestic animals such as cattle, sheep, and goats, follicles develop in the form of wave-like pattern during oestrous cycles (Evans, 2003). Follicles in the early stage grow slowly (Fortune, 1994). With the antrum formation, the process speeded up for recruiting qualified follicles to ovulate. Most follicles in follicular wave undergo atresia and only a few dominant follicles develop to ovulate. Many studies have been done on the mechanisms of follicular maturation and atresia. While the question of how developmental follicles go into different fates, stop and turn to atretic or ovulate, still plague researchers
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