Altered expression of miRNAs and mRNAs reveals the potential regulatory role of miRNAs in the developmental process of early weaned goats

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play pivotal roles in growth, development, and stress responses. However, the regulatory function of miRNAs in early weaned goats remains unclear. Deep sequencing comparison of mRNA and miRNA expression profiles showed that 18 miRNAs and 373 genes were differentially expressed in pre- and post-weaning Chongming white goats. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that these differentially expressed genes are involved in cellular processes, developmental processes, and growth in terms of biological process analysis. KEGG analysis showed that downregulated genes were enriched in salivary secretion, bile secretion, vascular smooth muscle contraction, and calcium signaling pathways. Additionally, a miRNA-mRNA co-expression network of the 18 dysregulated miRNAs and their 107 target mRNAs was constructed using a combination of Pearson’s correlation analysis and prediction by miRanda software. Among the downregulated miRNAs, two (chi-miR-206 and chi-miR-133a/b) were muscle development-related and the others were cell proliferation associated. Further RT-qPCR analysis confirmed that downregulated miRNAs (chi-miR-99b-3p, chi-miR-224, and chi-miR-10b-5p) were highly expressed in muscle tissues (heart, spleen, or kidney) of the rapid growth period (7-month old) in Chongming white goats. The results of the present study suggested that weaning induced cell proliferation repression in post-weaning goats, providing new insight into the mechanism of muscle development of goats, although additional details remain to be elucidated in the future.

MicroRNAs as Biomarkers for Animal Health and Welfare in Livestock

“…In goat kids, blood miRNA and mRNA signatures were investigated 1 day before weaning (44 days of age) and 3 days after weaning (48 days of age). Eighteen miRNAs (8 upregulated and 10 downregulated) and 373 genes were found to be DE (111). Two miRNAs related to skeletal muscle development (miR-206 and miR-133a/b) were significantly downregulated in post-weaning animals, as were cell proliferation-associated miRNAs (miR-99b-3p, miR-224, miR-143-5p, and miR-10b-5p).…”

“…Two miRNAs related to skeletal muscle development (miR-206 and miR-133a/b) were significantly downregulated in post-weaning animals, as were cell proliferation-associated miRNAs (miR-99b-3p, miR-224, miR-143-5p, and miR-10b-5p). This suggested that weaning stress induced growth retardation in the animals through the repression of cell proliferation, and the authors proposed that significantly altered levels of these miRNAs may be potential biomarkers to assess the severity of weaning stress in goat production (111).…”

miRNA expression patterns in blood leukocytes and milk somatic cells of goats infected with small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV)

“…It should be stressed that, although the diseases have different aetiologies, CAE is considered the animal model of this disorder 23 . Moreover, miR-214 , which plays contradictory roles in SARS-CoV infection in humans, also downregulates the expression of the lactoferrin gene in human mammary epithelial cells 24 . Elevated miR-141 expression has been observed during enterovirus infection of rhabdomyosarcoma cells 25 .…”

Differentially Expressed MiRNAs of Goat Submandibular Glands Among Three Developmental Stages Are Involved in Immune Functions

“…Specific changes in urinary miRNA expression in male goats during the breeding season may be related to their high testosterone levels during breeding (Longpre et al, 2014 ). Serum miRNA expression profiles are different in Chongming white goats pre- and post-weaning (Liao et al, 2019 ).…”