title: Integrating miRNA and mRNA Expression Profiling Uncovers miRNAs Underlying Fat Deposition in Sheep.
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.
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
authors.forename: Guangxian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China; Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences of CAAS, Lanzhou, China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
authors.forename: Danju
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China; College of Biology Sciences and Engineering, Beifang University of Nationalities, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, China.
authors.forename: Xiaochun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Xining, China.
authors.forename: Jiping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China; College of Pharmacy, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, China.
authors.forename: Rongqing
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
authors.forename: Yuxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
authors.forename: Zhaoxia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
authors.forename: Yulin
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5679-4055
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D050156:Adipogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D019295:Computational Biology; D005260:Female; D022001:Focal Adhesions; D000071161:Forkhead Box Protein O1 / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D015723:Gene Library; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D012756:Sheep; D034561:Sheep, Domestic; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051153:Wnt Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000071161:Forkhead Box Protein O1; D035683:MicroRNAs; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051153:Wnt Proteins