乏情和发情初产母猪卵巢microRNA差异表达分析

为了探索卵巢microRNA （miRNA）在初产母猪生殖调控中的作用,本研究利用Illumina高通量测序技术检测了乏情和发情初产母猪卵巢miRNA的表达谱,并对表达量较高且差异显著的miRNA进行生物信息学分析。结果显示,本研究构建的两个small RNA文库共鉴定出503个miRNAs,其中已知的303个,新预测的200个。在已知的miRNA中,ssc-miR-10b在两个文库中的表达量最高,其次为ssc-miR-143-3p和ssc-miR-26a;在新预测的miRNA中,chr13_2637_mature在两个文库中的表达量最高,其次为chr8_9994_mature。与发情母猪相比,共有145个miRNAs发生显著变化（read counts>10,∣log₂（fold-change）∣>1）,上调114个,下调31个。在进一步筛选的31个表达量较高且差异显著的miRNAs（read counts>1 000,∣log₂（fold-change）∣>1）中,新预测的chr13_2585_mature上调倍数最高,且只在乏情母猪卵巢中表达。31个miRNAs共预测到7 388个靶基因,KEGG信号通路分析显示,有2 788个靶基因注释到了297个KEGG通路,前20个最富集的通路部分与生殖过程或生殖活动调控相关,表明这31个miRNAs参与了初产母猪的生殖调控。本研究结果丰富了猪miRNA数据资源,为进一步深入研究初产母猪的繁殖性能提供了理论依据。     

Computational identification of new porcine microRNAs and their targets

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a newly identified class of non‐protein‐coding ～22 nt small RNAs which play important roles in multiple biological processes by degrading targeted mRNAs or repressing mRNA translation. Here we present an expressed sequence tag (EST)‐based combined approach for the detection of novel porcine miRNAs. This was initiated by using previously known miRNA sequences from Homo sapiens (human) and Mus musculus (mouse) to blast the databases of Sus scrofa (pig) EST. A total of 65 new miRNAs were detected following a range of filtering criteria. Using these new potential miRNA sequences, we further obtained the publicly available porcine mRNA database from NCBI and detected 48 586 potential target hits using a software RNA hybrid. So far, compared to human and mouse, fewer miRNAs (only 54 miRNAs) were identified in Sus scrofa species. These 65 new miRNAs and their targets in pig have been run through miRHelper to yield data that may help us better understand the possible role of miRNAs in regulating the growth and development of pigs. These findings suggest that EST analysis is a good alternative strategy for identifying new miRNA candidates, their targets and other genes.     

成年滩羊和小尾寒羊皮肤毛囊差异表达miRNA的筛选

为比较miRNA在小尾寒羊和滩羊皮肤毛囊中的表达差异,本研究利用高通量测序技术分析了成年滩羊(TY_1)和小尾寒羊(XWHY_1)皮肤毛囊组织中miRNAs的表达谱,在2个品种绵羊皮肤毛囊组织中共鉴定出561个miRNAs,其中包括138个已知和423个新发现的miRNAs。鉴定出的miRNAs进行表达量差异分析发现,在TY_1与XWHY_1共筛选到63个上调和16个下调的miRNAs。对差异表达miRNA靶基因预测后与基因本体数据库(GO)和京都基因与基因组百科全书(KEGG)比对,分别获得靶基因的注释信息为3 886个和4 449个。GO统计发现,差异表达miRNA的靶基因主要参与代谢过程、催化活性、细胞进程和细胞组分等;而KEGG通路分析表明,4 449个靶基因富集到113个信号通路上,其中在嘌呤代谢、内吞作用和糖酵解/糖异生等信号通路上富集显著。综上,在小尾寒羊和滩羊皮肤毛囊中筛选到的差异表达miRNA可能通过调控其靶基因最终参与了绵羊皮肤毛囊的发育。     

Profiling microRNA expression in bovine alveolar macrophages using RNA-seq

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression and are known to play a key role in regulating both adaptive and innate immunity. Bovine alveolar macrophages (BAMs) help maintain lung homeostasis and constitute the front line of host defense against several infectious respiratory diseases, such as bovine tuberculosis. Little is known, however, about the role miRNAs play in these cells. In this study, we used a high-throughput sequencing approach, RNA-seq, to determine the expression levels of known and novel miRNAs in unchallenged BAMs isolated from lung lavages of eight different healthy Holstein–Friesian male calves. Approximately 80 million sequence reads were generated from eight BAM miRNA Illumina sequencing libraries, and 80 miRNAs were identified as being expressed in BAMs at a threshold of at least 100 reads per million (RPM). The expression levels of miRNAs varied over a large dynamic range, with a few miRNAs expressed at very high levels (up to 800,000 RPM), and the majority lowly expressed. Notably, many of the most highly expressed miRNAs in BAMs have known roles in regulating immunity in other species (e.g. bta-let-7i, bta-miR-21, bta-miR-27, bta-miR-99b, bta-miR-146, bta-miR-147, bta-miR-155 and bta-miR-223). The most highly expressed miRNA in BAMs was miR-21, which has been shown to regulate the expression of antimicrobial peptides in Mycobacterium leprae-infected human monocytes. Furthermore, the predicted target genes of BAM-expressed miRNAs were found to be statistically enriched for roles in innate immunity. In addition to profiling the expression of known miRNAs, the RNA-seq data was also analysed to identify potentially novel bovine miRNAs. One putatively novel bovine miRNA was identified. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first RNA-seq study to profile miRNA expression in BAMs and provides an important reference dataset for investigating the regulatory roles miRNAs play in this important immune cell type.     

Identification and Characterization of Pig Embryo MicroRNAs by Solexa Sequencing

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non‐coding RNAs of approximately 22 nucleotides in length that regulate gene expression by binding to the 3′‐untranslated regions of target mRNAs. It is now clear that miRNAs are involved in many biological processes, including proliferation, differentiation and regulation of gene expression during early embryonic development. The miRBase 16.0 (2010) shows that there are 175, 673, 408 and 1048 annotated miRNAs for Caenorhabditis elegans, Mus musculus, Rattus norvegicus and Homo sapiens, respectively. However, there are only 211 miRNAs described for Sus scrofa. In particular, the full set of miRNAs and their expression patterns are still poorly understood in the embryo. Therefore, we combined Solexa sequencing with computational techniques to analyse the sequences and relative expression levels of S. scrofa miRNAs at embryonic day 33 (E33). Of the distinct miRNAs identified, 76 previously known miRNAs and 194 candidate miRNAs were identified in head, and 77 known miRNAs and 130 predicted candidate miRNAs were identified in organ region. Furthermore, we performed additional investigation for identifying the potential target mRNAs using PicTar and TargetScan. Concurrent function analysis suggested that highly expressed miRNAs are mostly involved in the development of nerves, cerebrum, muscle and organs. Our results provide useful information for the investigation into embryonic miRNAs of pig and provide a valuable resource for investigators interested in the regulation of embryonic development in pigs and other animals.     

感染产肠毒素大肠杆菌的猪小肠上皮细胞microRNA表达谱分析

试验旨在探索产肠毒素大肠杆菌（enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli，ETEC）感染猪小肠上皮细胞（IPEC-J2）诱导的microRNA （miRNA）表达谱变化，为解析宿主miRNA在ETEC感染过程中的调控作用提供理论基础。利用Illumina 6000 Novoseq SE50测序平台分别对ETEC感染前后的IPEC-J2进行高通量测序，用Bowtie与参考基因组比对，用DESeq R Package进行miRNA差异性分析。通过miRanda和RNAhybid共同预测差异表达miRNA的靶基因，对差异表达miRNA靶基因进行GO功能和KEGG通路分析。随机选取5个miRNAs，对测序结果进行实时荧光定量PCR验证。结果显示，IPEC-J2在感染前后的sRNA文库经过滤分别得到12 889 260和11 203 056条clean reads。感染前后文库中，miRNA所占比例最高，分别为73.16%和54.10%；分别有97.98%和69.83%长度为18~40 nt的sRNA可比对到参考基因组，表明测序质控良好。长度在22~24 nt的序列大部分首位碱基偏向U，2~8位点出现频率最高的碱基分别为AGCUUAU。共发现311个已知miRNAs，128个新miRNAs。在2个文库中，长度为23 nt的miRNA序列占比最高，分别为41.42%和23.56%。感染后共筛选到140个差异表达miRNAs，其中74个表达上调，66个表达下调。GO分析表明，miRNA靶基因显著富集于代谢过程、正向调节代谢过程、细胞成分或生物合成、免疫系统、细胞内部分和细胞器等功能。KEGG分析表明，差异表达miRNA靶基因显著富集于赖氨酸降解、生产IgA的肠道免疫网络、NF-κB信号通路和T细胞受体信号通路等。实时荧光定量PCR验证结果表明，随机选取的5个miRNAs表达趋势与测序结果一致，表明测序准确可靠。综上所述，IPEC-J2的miRNAs参与了ETEC感染过程，为进一步揭示调控ETEC感染的关键miRNA及其作用机制提供科学依据。     

调控香猪繁殖候选miRNA筛选

研究旨在从香猪卵巢small RNA测序数据中挖掘调控香猪繁殖的microRNA （miRNA）,解析miRNA调控香猪卵巢功能及繁殖性状的分子机制,对于猪的遗传选育具有重要意义。研究选取发情期和间情期的香猪各4头,屠宰后取其卵巢组织,提取总RNA进行small RNA测序,利用生物信息学方法检测miRNA表达谱,筛选差异表达的miRNA,预测差异表达miRNA靶基因,并对靶基因进行GO功能富集和KEGG通路富集分析。结果显示,香猪卵巢组织中miRNA在染色体上呈不均匀分布,主要分布于1号染色体和X染色体上。香猪卵巢中共有627个已知猪miRNAs表达,其中有34个差异表达miRNAs,表达量前五的分别是miR-23、let-7i-5p、miR-103、miR-30e-5p和miR-1271-5p。GO功能分析结果显示,靶基因主要参与的生物学过程是细胞过程（cellular process）,主要分布于细胞（cell）,主要分子功能是结合（binding）;KEGG显著富集通路中,促性腺激素释放激素受体通路（gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor pathway）、胰岛素样生长因子通路（IGF pathway）和表皮生长因子受体信号通路（EGF receptor signaling pathway）与卵母细胞的发育成熟相关,因此推测miR-23b、let-7i-5p、miR-103、miR-30e-5p和miR-1271-5p可能参与了香猪繁殖调控。本研究初步筛选出5个可能调控香猪繁殖性能的miRNAs,可为从分子水平提高香猪产仔数提供理论基础。     

羊传染性脓疱病毒感染山羊皮肤成纤维上皮细胞差异表达miRNA分析

旨在研究羊传染性脓疱病毒（orf virus，orfv）感染山羊皮肤成纤维细胞（goat skin fibroblasts cell，GSF）对GSF细胞microRNA（miRNA）表达谱影响，探究miRNA在orfv感染过程中的作用及调控机制。分别提取感染和未感染orfv的GSF细胞总RNA，构建miRNA文库，利用高通量测序技术进行miRNA差异表达分析，对差异表达miRNA靶基因进行预测，并进行GO和KEGG分析，随机选取10个差异miRNA进行RT-qPCR验证。结果显示，orfv感染组和未感染GSF细胞组相比共有678个显著差异表达的miRNA（fold change≥1.5），其中，上调表达miRNA有509个，下调表达miRNA有169个，uniq_miRNA的Venn图分析显示，感染组和对照组共有的miRNA仅占8.21%；GO和KEGG分析显示，差异表达miRNA主要参与脂质代谢、受体及细胞因子信号转导等细胞生物学过程，RT-qPCR验证结果与高通量测序结果一致。本研究结果表明，orfv感染GSF细胞对其编码的miRNA有显著影响，获得大量GSF细胞编码的与orfv感染相关的差异miRNA，为进一步从宿主miRNA层面揭示orfv感染和致病机制提供了参考依据。     

牛基因组中新的microRNA预测及分析

MicroRNA(miRNA)是一类调控真核基因表达的非编码小分子RNA,目前已证实miRNA在生物体生长、发育和疾病发生等过程中起着重要的作用。用同源搜索的计算分析法预测新的miRNAs是当前发现和鉴定miRNA的有效方法之一,本研究根据NCBI数据库中的牛EST、GSS信息以及猪、家犬、人、大猩猩和小家鼠5种哺乳动物的已经注册miRNA分子信息,预测牛新的候选miRNA,通过碱基错配、二级结构、A+U含量、自由能大小等分析候选序列特征,得到了17条牛新的候选miRNA。这对进一步寻找牛的miRNA和遗传育种研究提供了新的思路,具有一定的理论和实际意义。     

胚胎移植前供体牛与受体牛血浆外泌体miRNA差异表达分析

【目的】 探索胚胎移植前供体牛与受体牛血浆外泌体miRNA的表达差异, 以明确血浆外泌体miRNA在牛早期妊娠中的作用及其调控机制。【方法】 以3~6岁、体重480~600 kg的夏南牛作为研究对象, 选取10头供体牛进行同期发情、超数排卵和人工授精, 23头受体牛只做同期发情处理。在人工授精后第7天, 冲洗供体牛子宫以获取囊胚, 选取3头囊胚数相近的供体牛及3头与供体牛体重和年龄均相近的受体牛, 颈静脉采血, 进行血浆外泌体的分离与鉴定; 然后提取血浆外泌体miRNA, 并检测其表达量; 采用R语言中的DESeq差异算法计算P值, 并筛选出P<0.05的miRNA, 对差异表达的miRNA进行靶基因预测、GO功能富集分析和KEGG信号通路分析。【结果】 6个样本的囊泡粒径均在135 nm左右, 符合外泌体的特征。与供体牛相比, 受体牛中有9个miRNAs表达显著上调(P<0.05), 13个miRNAs显著下调(P<0.05);22个差异表达的miRNAs中, 有15个miRNAs预测出无重复的靶基因2 990个。GO功能富集分析和KEGG信号通路分析的结果表明, 这些靶基因主要富集在与生物黏附(biological adhesion)、定位(localization)、细胞连接(cell junction)功能有关的通路上, 显著富集的信号通路与黏着斑(focal adhesion)、黏着连接(adherens junction)有关, 提示血浆外泌体miRNA可能参与调控胚胎着床。【结论】 研究结果可为筛选和探究影响胚胎着床的血浆外泌体miRNA提供参考, 并为进一步阐明血浆外泌体miRNA在母牛早期妊娠调控中的作用提供依据。     

Identification and function prediction of novel microRNAs in adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase-activated Sertoli cells of immature boar

This study was carried out with the objective to identify function prediction of novel microRNAs (miRNAs) in immature boar Sertoli cells (SCs) treated with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside (AICAR), which is an agonist of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) for regulating cellular energy homeostasis. Two small RNA libraries (control and AICAR treatment) prepared from immature boar SCs were constructed and sequenced by the Illumina small RNA deep sequencing. We identified 77 novel miRNAs and predicted 177 potential target genes for 26 differential novel miRNAs (four miRNAs up-regulation and 22 miRNAs down-regulation) in AICAR-treated SCs. Gene Ontology enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway suggested that target genes of differential novel miRNAs were implicated in many biological processes and metabolic pathways. Our findings provided useful information for the functional regulation of novel miRNAs and target mRNAs on AMPK-activated immature boar SCs.     

miRNA在猪主要经济性状调控中的研究进展

microRNA（miRNA）是一类广泛存在于真核生物中的内源性单链非编码小RNA分子,长度为21~22 nt,以特异的序列互补结合方式调控基因的表达。在经典的miRNA作用机制中,miRNA通常与靶基因3'UTR种子区序列完全或不完全互补配对,从而在转录后水平调控靶基因的表达。越来越多的报道证实,miRNA还可与靶基因5'UTR区、编码区及启动子区结合,进而参与复杂的基因调控过程。随着高通量测序技术和分子生物学实验技术的发展,大量miRNA被鉴定,其参与调控的生物学机制也被逐渐揭示。大量研究表明,miRNA能够参与动物生殖、生长发育、新陈代谢和疾病调控等生物学过程,对维持正常的生命活动具有重要意义。在猪的遗传改良工作中,对主要经济性状（繁殖、生长发育、胴体肉品质、抗病等）进行改良,选育优良品种,是未来养殖业发展的必然趋势。作者就miRNA生成和作用机制及近年来在猪生殖调控、肌肉发育、脂肪沉积和抵抗疾病感染等方面的研究进行综述,为系统了解miRNA在猪重要经济性状调控中的应用提供参考,并为深入开展相关遗传育种研究工作提供依据。     

微小RNA病毒的研究进展

微小RNA (miRNA)是小分子RNA家族中的一员,内源性非编码基因构成的21～23 nt单链小RNA分子,在生物进化过程中保持了高度的保守性,通常由Dicer酶从具有发夹二级结构的RNA前体加工而来,miRNA虽然微小,但它在真核生物发育和基因表达中通过与靶mRNA形成完全或不完全互补配对从而扮演着重要角色。2004年,发现了编码和表达miRNA的第一个病毒——埃博拉病毒（epstein barr virus,EBV）,最近,miRNA又从肉瘤相关疱疹病毒(kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpesvirus,KSHV) 和人巨细胞病毒（human cytomegalovirus,HCMV）中克隆到,此外,SV40 miRNA被认为负调控T抗原(large T antigen, T Ag)表达,作者对病毒编码的miRNA及miRNA在最近研究中的预测、表达和功能作一综述。     

牦牛皱胃全长转录组测序分析

【目的】 获得牦牛(Bos grunniens)皱胃全长转录组数据库,深入挖掘牦牛皱胃功能基因。【方法】 采用PacBio Sequel高通量测序系统,使用单分子实时(single molecular real time,SMRT)测序技术对成年牦牛皱胃全长转录组进行测序,对原始数据进行质控和去冗余分析,再比对参考基因组获取过滤后的非重复序列(Unigenes),使用多种生物信息软件对牦牛皱胃全长转录本数据进行功能注释、转录因子注释、编码区预测、简单重复序列(simple sequence repeats,SSR)分析及可变剪接分析。【结果】 通过测序共获得14467420条子序列,平均子序列长度为3 344.23 bp,质控得到循环一致性序列(CCS)有296840条,全长非嵌合(FLNC)序列有277 402条,过滤和去冗余后对比参考基因组最终获得8 556条Unigenes。通过与NR、Swiss-Prot、KEGG、KOG、eggNOG、GO和Pfam数据库比对,对Unigenes进行注释,其中NR数据库注释了8 544条Unigenes;Swiss-Prot数据库注释了8 475条Unigenes;KEGG数据库注释了1721条Unigenes;KOG数据库注释了6 572条Unigenes;eggNOG数据库注释了8491条Unigenes;GO数据库注释了7 725条Unigenes;Pfam数据库注释了8 162条Unigenes。此外,经鉴定或预测,还获得了943个转录因子、8544个编码区片段、3596个SSR位点和1 825个可变剪接事件。【结论】 本研究获得了较为可靠的牦牛皱胃全长转录组数据,可为进一步研究牦牛皱胃生物学特性、相关代谢途径、信号通路及其分子机制提供数据支持。     

MicroRNA fingerprints in serum and whole blood of sarcoid‐affected horses as potential non‐invasive diagnostic biomarkers

Serum and whole blood microRNA (miRNA) fingerprints have been proposed as a new class of non‐invasive human cancer biomarkers. In this study, we compared equine sarcoid (ES) disease‐specific serum and whole blood miRNA fingerprints and correlated them to miRNA expression in sarcoid tissue. After high throughput sequencing, miRNA differential expression analysis between six ES‐affected and five control horses was carried out in serum and whole blood using a DESeq algorithm, accounting for the influence of hemolysis and the white blood cell count. Target gene, pathway prediction and enrichment analyses were conducted using TarBase, mirPath and GeneCodis. After exclusion of 4 hemolyzed out of a total of 11 serum samples, 9 miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed in serum of ES vs control horses. In whole blood, all 11 samples showed normal white blood cell counts and 19 miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed. A total of 2/9 serum and 7/19 whole blood differentially expressed miRNAs were also highly expressed at the tissue level and their predicted target genes were associated with cancer pathways. Serum and whole blood miRNA expression allowed discrimination between ES and control horses and merits further validation in a larger study cohort. The use of whole blood might be superior because it has higher miRNA content and is less influenced by pre‐analytical variables compared to serum. Concurrent dysregulation of single miRNAs in tissue and blood suggests a possible biological function of circulating miRNAs.     

Identification of key microRNAs affecting melanogenesis of breast muscle in Muchuan black-boned chickens by RNA sequencing

ABSTRACT

1. Melanin content is considered an important indicator of meat quality in black-boned chickens, which have a high market value. To understand the complex physiological processes underlying muscle melanogenesis in this chicken, differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were detected between black muscle (BM) and white muscle (WM) of chickens using high-throughput sequencing technology. Six small RNA libraries were constructed, and more than 16.75 million clean reads were obtained for each library.

2. A total of 582 known miRNAs and 65 novel miRNAs were identified from the six chicken sequence libraries. A total of 19 DEMs were identified between the two groups, of which nine were upregulated and 10 were downregulated. Furthermore, the DEMs were predicted to target 572 genes.

3. Certain DEMs (such as miR-204, miR-133b, and miR-12 229-3p) and their target genes may play an important role in muscle melanogenesis of chickens. These findings provide a foundation for clarifying the miRNA regulatory mechanisms involved in muscle pigmentation in avian species.     

绵羊miRNA-1185-5p的基因组定位、靶基因预测和功能分析

miRNAs是一类小分子非编码RNAs,在机体许多生理及病理过程中发挥调控作用。该课题组前期研究发现,miRNA-1185-5p在经产双羔母羊卵巢中表达水平显著低于经产单羔母羊。为进一步深入挖掘miRNA-1185-5p在绵羊生殖过程中的作用,利用生物信息学手段分析了miRNA-1185-5p的基因组定位,预测其靶基因,并对靶基因进行GO功能分析。结果表明,miRNA-1185-5p是位于绵羊18号染色体的内含子miRNA;利用miRDB和microT 2种方法预测获得miRNA-1185-5p的23个靶基因,这些靶基因主要参与细胞增殖、分化和凋亡过程以及代谢等生物学过程,其中,靶基因AhR直接参与生殖过程。该研究说明miRNA-1185-5p可能通过作用于AhR等靶基因对绵羊生殖过程发挥调控作用。     

鸡白痢沙门菌感染雏鸡的骨髓miRNA表达谱分析

旨在探究鸡白痢沙门菌(Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum,S.Pullorum)感染雏鸡后骨髓miRNA的差异表达特征,为深入了解鸡白痢沙门菌的致病机制提供理论基础。将7日龄SPF雏鸡随机分为两组,分别口服鸡白痢沙门菌和PBS,于感染24 h后采集骨髓进行miRNA测序,筛选差异倍数≥2且P值≤0.05的差异表达miRNAs进行靶基因预测以及GO、KEGG富集分析,随机选取6个miRNAs进行qRT-PCR验证,构建与免疫过程相关的miRNA-mRNA靶点网络。通过miRNA测序,共获得20个已知的差异表达miRNAs,其中11个上调,9个下调。qRT-PCR结果表明,miRNA变化趋势与测序结果一致。GO分析结果表明,差异表达基因主要富集在膜运输、信号转导、免疫系统、碳水化合物代谢、糖类的生物合成和代谢等,KEGG的信号通路主要富集在Notch信号通路、Hedgehog信号通路、PPAR信号通路、AMPK信号通路、Hippo信号通路等,miRNA-mRNA网络互作发现,gga-miR-1466和gga-miR-6643-5p可能是参与免疫过程相关的关键miRNA。本研究解析了鸡白痢沙门菌感染雏鸡的骨髓miRNA表达谱特征,为了解鸡白痢沙门菌和鸡之间相互作用的复杂分子致病机制提供了新的见解,为防控鸡白痢沙门菌感染提供了新策略。