Insights Into miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Mechanisms of Cold Adaptation in Gymnocypris eckloni: Ubiquitin-Mediated Proteolysis Is Pivotal for Adaptive Energy Metabolism

Miaomiao Nie; Weilin Ni; Lihan Wang; Qiang Gao; Dan Liu; Fei Tian; Zhenji Wang; Cunfang Zhang; Delin Qi

doi:10.3389/fgene.2022.903995

Insights Into miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Mechanisms of Cold Adaptation in Gymnocypris eckloni: Ubiquitin-Mediated Proteolysis Is Pivotal for Adaptive Energy Metabolism

Front Genet. 2022 Jul 22:13:903995. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2022.903995. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Miaomiao Nie¹, Weilin Ni¹, Lihan Wang¹, Qiang Gao¹, Dan Liu¹, Fei Tian², Zhenji Wang³, Cunfang Zhang¹, Delin Qi¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, China.
² Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China.
³ Fishery Environmental Monitoring Station of Qinghai Province, Xining, China.

Abstract

This study aimed to understand cold stress adaptations mechanism in fish. Thus, the transcriptional response to cold conditions in Gymnocypris eckloni was evaluated using RNA-seq and microRNA (miRNA)-seq analyses. Low-temperature (LT) group G. eckloni was cultivated outdoors in waters cooled to 2-4°C for 3 weeks, while individuals in the control temperature (CT) group were exposed to 14-16°C. Significantly different responses were observed in both mRNA and miRNA expression profiles, with more mRNAs (1,833 and 1,869 mRNAs were up- and downregulated, respectively) and fewer miRNAs (15 and 6 were up- and downregulated, respectively) observed in the LT group individuals relative to the CT group individuals. A miRNA-mRNA network involved in the regulation of G. eckloni responses to cold stress was constructed; this network included ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, protein processing, and oxidative phosphorylation. These results provided new insights into mechanisms of cold tolerance by fish, including decreased metabolic activity in addition to proteolysis.

Keywords: Gymnocypris eckloni; MiRNA-mRNA; cold adaptation; energy metabolism; ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis.