Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, noncoding RNAs that regulate various biological processes including adipogenesis and fat metabolism. Here, we adopted a deep sequencing approach to determine the identity and abundance of miRNAs involved in fat deposition in adipose tissues from fat-tailed (Kazakhstan sheep, KS) and thin-tailed (Tibetan sheep, TS) sheep breeds. By comparing HiSeq data of these two breeds, 539 miRNAs were shared in both breeds, whereas 179 and 97 miRNAs were uniquely expressed in KS and TS, respectively. We also identified 35 miRNAs that are considered to be putative novel miRNAs. The integration of miRNA-mRNA analysis revealed that miRNA-associated targets were mainly involved in the gene ontology (GO) biological processes concerning cellular process and metabolic process, and miRNAs play critical roles in fat deposition through their ability to regulate fundamental pathways. These pathways included the MAPK signaling pathway, FoxO and Wnt signaling pathway, and focal adhesion. Taken together, our results define miRNA expression signatures that may contribute to fat deposition and lipid metabolism in sheep.

Highlights

  • Adipocytes are cells that form and store fat globules in the body

  • We found that several significantly overrepresented categories of gene ontology (GO) biological processes were associated with fat metabolism and deposition

  • We found that the cAMP signaling pathway had a critical role in both adipogenesis and lipid partitioning in white adipose tissue and wellcharacterized mechanisms controlling adipocyte differentiation [23, 24]

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Summary

Introduction

Adipocytes are cells that form and store fat globules in the body. Adipose tissue deposits are located in different regions of the body, primarily in the form of subcutaneous fat or intramuscular fat in domestic animals. Though the volume of adipocytes varies from breed to breed and is influenced by diet, genetic factors are considered major determinants for the formation of adipocytes. Fat-tailed sheep, which exhibit distinctive large tails and hindquarters, comprise approximately 25% of the world’s sheep population [1] and are raised commercially for meat, milk, fat, or wool production. Fat-tail is regarded as an adaptive response to the harsh challenges of desert life and the fat deposits provide a valuable energy reservation during drought seasons. The Kazakhstan sheep (KS, fat-tail breed) and Tibetan sheep (TS, thin-tail breed) are two native breeds raised in the extremely arid regions of western

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