Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2815875 | Gene | 2015 | 10 Pages |
•We identified 20 conserved bovine miRNAs by homology search.•We applied qRT-PCR to compare the expression levels of the 22 most abundant miRNAs in subcutaneous fat tissue.•We analyzed the KEGG pathway and GO term enrichment of the predicted target genes.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a newly identified class of non-protein-coding ~ 22 nt small RNA which plays important roles in multiple biological processes by degrading targeted mRNA or repressing mRNA translation. Here we present EST (expressed sequence tags)-based and GSS (Genomic Survey Sequences)-based combined approach for the detection of conserved miRNAs of cattle. A total of 20 conserved miRNAs that belong to 18 miRNA families were detected following a range of filtering criteria; their functions were further predicted and analyzed. To confirm our prediction, a miRNA-detecting microarray was designed with probes complementary to previously known mature miRNA sequences from 131 organisms. After hybridizing with small RNAs extracted from beef cattle subcutaneous fat tissue, 219 (32.30%) miRNAs were detected in the 679 known Bos taurus miRNAs and all the miRNAs predicted above were also detected. Conformation of 22 most abundant miRNA expression by qRT-PCR indicated that they were highly accumulated not only in subcutaneous fat tissue but also in intramuscular fat tissue. Bioinformatics of KEGG pathway analysis suggested that 4 differential expression miRNAs (miR-143, miR-145, miR-2325c and miR-2361) involved in different pathways and target genes may regulate the fat deposition differently. Taken together, our results expand the number of known bovine miRNAs and provide a thorough account of the miRNA transcriptome in bovine adipose tissue.