Abstract
BackgroundThe quality and yield of duck feathers are very important economic traits that might be controlled by miRNA regulation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanism underlying the crosstalk between individual miRNAs and the activity of signaling pathways that control the growth of duck feathers during different periods. We therefore conducted a comprehensive investigation using Solexa sequencing technology on the Pekin duck microRNAome over six stages of feather development at days 11, 15, and 20 of embryonic development (during the hatching period), and at 1 day and 4 and 10 weeks posthatch.ResultsThere were a total of 354 known miRNAs and 129 novel candidate miRNAs found based on comparisons with known miRNAs in the Gallus gallus miRBase. The series of miRNAs related to feather follicle formation as summarized in the present study showed two expression patterns, with primary follicle developed during embryonic stage and secondary follicle developed mainly at early post hatch stage. Analysis of miRNA expression profiles identified 18 highly expressed miRNAs, which might be directly responsible for regulation of feather development. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis suggested that in addition to Wnt and transforming growth factor (TGFβ) signaling pathways, which were widely reported in response to follicle formation, another group of signaling pathways that regulate lipid synthesis and metabolism, such as the phosphatidylinositol signaling system and glycerolipid metabolism and signaling, are also responsible for follicle formation.ConclusionThe highly expressed miRNAs provide a valuable reference for further investigation into the functional miRNAs important for feather development. Lipid synthesis and metabolism related signaling pathways might be responsible for lipid formation on the surface of feather, and should be paid much more attention for their relation to feather quality.
Highlights
The quality and yield of duck feathers are very important economic traits that might be controlled by miRNA regulation
Sample preparation From our previous study on follicle development in broilers and geese, we deduced that follicle formation in the duck starts around day 11 of embryonic development (11EM), progresses so that the body becomes lightly covered with feathers by day 15 (15EM), following which feathers completely cover the body at day 20 (20EM) [12]
At 4 weeks of Overview of Solexa-sequencing of feather follicle small RNAs There was a total of 18 libraries representing six stages of feather development
Summary
The quality and yield of duck feathers are very important economic traits that might be controlled by miRNA regulation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanism underlying the crosstalk between individual miRNAs and the activity of signaling pathways that control the growth of duck feathers during different periods. Flight feathers and down feathers serve different functions, and the quality and yield of down feathers are very important economic traits [2]. Fast-growing Pekin ducks usually reach market weight around 35–40 d of age [4, 5], when the plumage is still far from maturity [6]. Yuan et al found 399 conserved miRNAs that played roles in the regulation of hair follicle cycling in
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