GSE113173
Integrative analysis of microRNA-mRNA of muscle tissues in Qianhua Mutton Merino and Small Tail Han sheep
We aimed to evaluated the key microRNA-mRNA network associated with sheep muscle growth and development. We used RNA-Seq to obtain the smallRNA profiles of the longissimus muscle from the QHMM and STH. The results showed that a total of 153 known sheep miRNAs were identified, and 4 known sheep miRNAs were differently expressed. Combining mRNA library data, 26 target genes of 4 known miRNAs were selected and the miRNA–mRNA network was successfully built. GO and KEGG analysis showed that 26 target genes were significantly enriched in 86 biological processes, including muscle organogenesis, myoblast migration, cell proliferation, and adipose tissue development, and nine metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate, nucleotide, and amino acid metabolic pathways. The oar-miR-655-3p and target gene ACSM3, and oar-miR-381-5p and target gene ABAT were selected for subsequent analysis based on GO and KEGG analyses. The results suggested that the DEmiRNAs, especially oar-miR-655-3p and oar-miR-381-5p play crucial roles in muscle growth and development processes. This Integrative analysis of microRNA-mRNA analysis of QHMM and STH muscle is reported for the first time. Overall design: Muscle miRNA profiles of Qianhua Mutton Merino (QHMM) and  Small Tail Han (STH) sheep were generated by deep sequencing, three replicates in each sheep breed, using ABI Ion Proton instrument .