ABSTRACT. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an important class of small noncoding RNAs that are highly conserved in plants and animals. Many miRNAs are known to mediate a myriad of cell processes, including proliferation and differentiation, via the regulation of some transcription and signaling factors, which are closely related to muscle development and disease. In this study, small RNA cDNA libraries of Boer goats were constructed. In addition, we obtained the goat muscle miRNAs by using Solexa deep-sequencing technology and analyzed these miRNA characteristics by combining it with the bioinformatics technology. Based on Solexa sequencing and bioinformatics analysis, 562 speciesconserved and 5 goat genome-specific miRNAs were identified, 322 of which exceeded 100 in the expression levels. The results of realtime quantitative polymerase chain reaction from 8 randomly selected miRNAs showed that the 8 miRNAs were expressed in goat muscle, and the expression patterns were consistent with the Solexa sequencing results. The identification and characterization of miRNAs in goat muscle provide important information on the role of miRNA regulation in muscle growth and development. These data will help to facilitate studies on the regulatory roles played by miRNAs during goat growth and development.

ABSTRACT. Deregulation of cardiac miRNA gene-regulatory networks is a feature of different heart diseases, including ischemic (ICM) and nonischemic (NICM) cardiomyopathy. Here, based on the paired miRNA and mRNA expression profiles in ICM and NICM, we identified the differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNAs and the expression signatures distinguishing ICM/NICM from control samples. Furthermore, we constructed a functional miRNA network for each disease. Analysis of the topological features of these networks revealed that the Wnt signaling pathway and cell cycle (de)regulation play critical roles in the development of ICM and NICM. In addition, comparison of the miRNA and mRNA functional profiles revealed that their expression patterns in ICM and NICM differ. These findings revealed hundreds of novel heart-failurerelated miRNAs with important regulatory functions. In summary, RNA- seq-based transcriptome profiling in the failing human heart revealed a complex transcriptional regulation associated with the disease. The newly uncovered importance of miRNAs in disease pathogenesis highlights their value as potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets.

The Elongator complex is conserved in a wide range of species and plays crucial roles in diverse cellular processes. We have previously shown that the Elongator protein PoELp3 was involved in the asexual development, pathogenicity, and autophagy of the rice blast fungus. In this study, we further revealed that PoElp3 functions via tRNA-mediated protein integrity. Based on the phenotypic results that overexpression of two of the tRNAs, tK(UUU) and tQ(UUG), could rescue the defects in fungal growth, pathogenicity and response to rapamycin of ΔPoelp3 strain, we performed TMT-based proteomic analysis, and showed that 386 proteins were down-regulated in ΔPoelp3 strain compared with wild type strain Guy11. Transcriptional analysis demonstrated that regulation of the 386 proteins by PoElp3 was independent of transcription. Codon usage assays revealed an enrichment of Glutamine CAA-biased mRNA in the 386 proteins compared with the 70-15 genome. Functional assessment of these proteins suggested that some of them were involved in either fungal growth, conidial development, pathogenicity, or autophagy. Taken together, our results suggested that PoElp3 acts through the tRNA-mediated translational efficiency to regulate asexual development, pathogenicity, and autophagy in the rice blast fungus. Key words: Elongator, tRNA, proteomics, transcription, translational efficiency, rice blast fungus

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