Abstract
Small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) play important roles in transcriptional and post-translational gene silencing in animals. However, the sncRNAs were not well studied in Brachyuran crabs, especially for the PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), which suppress transposon activity to maintain the germ lines genomic integrity. To unravel the sncRNAs expression profiling and genomic function in Brachyuran crabs, we generated a comprehensive small RNA dataset by small RNA sequencing (sRNA-seq) of three crabs. Abundant known and novel miRNAs were identified and characterized in these crabs. Among these miRNAs, 12 miRNAs were detected in all crabs, and another 41 miRNAs were detected in both of E. sinensis and E. japonica. In addition, abundant piRNA reads with a significant ping-pong signal were discovered in the ovaries and testis of Brachyuran crabs, which might associate with transposon silencing in germ lines. Our dataset would serve as important reference data for future genomic and genetic studies on small RNAs in these crabs and related species.
Highlights
Small non-coding RNAs with a length
A total of 200, 161, and 129 miRNAs were identified in E. sinensis, E. japonica, and P. trituberculatus, respectively (Supplementary Table 2)
Among these miRNAs, 12 miRNAs were detected in all crabs, namely miR-2a, miR-29a-3p, miR-34-3p, miR-87, miR-125a-5p, miR-181d-3p, miR-184-5p, miR-279, miR-375-5p, miR-680, miR-2424, and miR-7171-5p, whereas another 41 miRNAs were detected in both of E. sinensis and E. japonica (Figure 1A)
Summary
Small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) with a length
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