Identification and expression pattern analysis of miRNAs in pectoral muscle during pigeon (Columba livia) development

Xun Wang; Peiqi Yan; Siyuan Feng; Yi Luo; Jiyuan Liang; Ling Zhao; Haifeng Liu; Qianzi Tang; Keren Long; Long Jin; Jideng Ma; Anan Jiang; Surong Shuai; Mingzhou Li

doi:10.7717/peerj.11438

Identification and expression pattern analysis of miRNAs in pectoral muscle during pigeon (Columba livia) development

PeerJ. 2021 Jun 23:9:e11438. doi: 10.7717/peerj.11438. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Xun Wang^#¹, Peiqi Yan^#¹, Siyuan Feng¹, Yi Luo¹, Jiyuan Liang¹, Ling Zhao², Haifeng Liu¹, Qianzi Tang¹, Keren Long¹, Long Jin¹, Jideng Ma¹, Anan Jiang¹, Surong Shuai¹, Mingzhou Li¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
² College of Veterinary Medicine, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of crucial regulators in the process of animal growth and development. However, little is known about the expression and function of miRNAs in pigeon muscles. To identify the miRNAs participating in the rapid development of pigeon pectoral muscles and quantitate their expression levels of pectoral muscles in different age stages, we performed miRNA transcriptome analysis in pigeon pectoral muscles by sequencing small RNAs over three different age stages (1-day old, 28 days old, and 2 years old). Dual-luciferase reporter assay was applied to validate the interaction between miRNA and its target gene. We identified 304 known miRNAs, 201 conserved miRNAs, and 86 novel miRNAs in pigeon pectoral muscles. 189 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were screened out during pigeon development. A short time-series expression miner (STEM) analysis indicated 89 DE miRNAs were significantly clustered in a progressively decreasing expression profile, and mainly enriched in biosynthesis-related GO categories and signaling pathways for MAPK and TGF-β. Dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated that a progressively down-regulated miRNA (miR-20b-5p) could directly target Krüppel-like factor 3 (KLF3) gene. To sum-up, our data expand the repertoire of pigeon miRNAs and enhance understanding of the mechanisms underlying rapid development in squabs.

Keywords: Development; Pectoral muscle; Pigeon; Small RNA-seq; miRNAs.

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the Double plan of Sichuan Agricultural University (1921993255). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.