Integrated analysis of lncRNA and mRNA transcriptomes reveals the potential regulatory role of lncRNA in kiwifruit ripening and softening

AbstractKiwifruit has gained increasing attention worldwide for its unique flavor and high nutritional value. Rapid softening after harvest greatly shortens its shelf-life and reduces the commercial value. Therefore, it is imperative and urgent to identify and clarify its softening mechanism. This study aimed to analyze and compare the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and mRNA expression patterns in ABA-treated (ABA) and room temperature (RT)-stored fruits with those in freshly harvested fruits (CK) as control. A total of 697 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 81 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) were identified while comparing ABA with CK, and 458 DEGs and 143 DELs were detected while comparing RT with CK. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis of the identified DEGs and the target genes of DELs revealed that genes involved in starch and sucrose metabolism, brassinosteroid biosynthesis, plant hormone signal transduction, and flavonoid biosynthesis accounted for a large part. The co-localization networks, including 38 DEGs and 31 DELs in ABA vs. CK, and 25 DEGs and 25 DELs in RT vs. CK, were also performed. Genes related to fruit ripening, such as genes encoding β-galactosidase, mannan endo-1,4-β-mannosidase, pectinesterase/pectinesterase inhibitor, and NAC transcription factor, were present in the co-localization network, suggesting that lncRNAs were involved in regulating kiwifruit ripening. Notably, several ethylene biosynthesis- and signaling-related genes, including one 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase gene and three ethylene response factor genes, were found in the co-localization network of ABA vs. CK, suggesting that the promoting effect of ABA on ethylene biosynthesis and fruit softening might be embodied by increasing the expression of these lncRNAs. These results may help understand the regulatory mechanism of lncRNAs in ripening and ABA-induced fruit softening of kiwifruit.

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Genome-Wide Detection of Key Genes and Epigenetic Markers for Chicken Fatty Liver

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21051800 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (5) ◽

pp. 1800

Author(s):

Xiaodong Tan ◽

Ranran Liu ◽

Siyuan Xing ◽

Yonghong Zhang ◽

Qinghe Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Liver ◽

Noncoding Rna ◽

Production Efficiency ◽

Target Genes ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

Epigenetic Markers ◽

Differentially Methylated Genes ◽

Key Genes ◽

Immune Related Genes

Chickens are one of the most important sources of meat worldwide, and the occurrence of fatty liver syndrome (FLS) is closely related to production efficiency. However, the potential mechanism of FLS remains poorly understood. An integrated analysis of data from whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) sequencing was conducted. A total of 1177 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 1442 differentially methylated genes (DMGs) were found. There were 72% of 83 lipid- and glucose-related genes upregulated; 81% of 150 immune-related genes were downregulated in fatty livers. Part of those genes was within differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Besides, sixty-seven lncRNAs were identified differentially expressed and divided into 13 clusters based on their expression pattern. Some lipid- and glucose-related lncRNAs (e.g., LNC_006756, LNC_012355, and LNC_005024) and immune-related lncRNAs (e.g., LNC_010111, LNC_010862, and LNC_001272) were found through a co-expression network and functional annotation. From the expression and epigenetic profiles, 23 target genes (e.g., HAO1, ABCD3, and BLMH) were found to be hub genes that were regulated by both methylation and lncRNAs. We have provided comprehensive epigenetic and transcriptomic profiles on FLS in chicken, and the identification of key genes and epigenetic markers will expand our understanding of the molecular mechanism of chicken FLS.

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Transcriptome-wide identification and expression profiling of the ERF gene family suggest roles as transcriptional activators and repressors of fruit ripening in durian

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0252367 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (8) ◽

pp. e0252367

Author(s):

Gholamreza Khaksar ◽

Supaart Sirikantaramas

Keyword(s):

Transcriptional Regulation ◽

Fruit Ripening ◽

Expression Profiling ◽

Target Genes ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Ethylene Biosynthesis ◽

Negative Regulator ◽

Ethylene Response Factor ◽

Strong Positive Correlation ◽

Biosynthetic Genes

The involvement of the phytohormone ethylene as the main trigger of climacteric fruit ripening is well documented. However, our knowledge regarding the role of ethylene response factor (ERF) transcription factor in the transcriptional regulation of ethylene biosynthesis during fruit ripening remains limited. Here, comprehensive transcriptome analysis and expression profiling revealed 63 ERFs in durian pulps, termed DzERF1–DzERF63, of which 34 exhibited ripening-associated expression patterns at three stages (unripe, midripe, and ripe) during fruit ripening. Hierarchical clustering analysis classified 34 ripening-associated DzERFs into three distinct clades, among which, clade I consisted of downregulated DzERFs and clade III included those upregulated during ripening. Phylogenetic analysis predicted the functions of some DzERFs based on orthologs of previously characterized ERFs. Among downregulated DzERFs, DzERF6 functional prediction revealed its role as a negative regulator of ripening via ethylene biosynthetic gene repression, whereas among upregulated genes, DzERF9 was predicted to positively regulate ethylene biosynthesis. Correlation network analysis of 34 ripening-associated DzERFs with potential target genes revealed a strong negative correlation between DzERF6 and ethylene biosynthetic genes and a strong positive correlation between DzERF9 and ethylene biosynthesis. DzERF6 and DzERF9 showed differential expression patterns in association with different ripening treatments (natural, ethylene-induced, and 1-methylcyclopropene-delayed ripening). DzERF6 was downregulated, whereas DzERF9 was upregulated, during ripening and after ethylene treatment. The auxin-repressed and auxin-induced expression of DzERF6 and DzERF9, respectively, confirmed its dose-dependent responsiveness to exogenous auxin. We suggest ethylene- and auxin-mediated roles of DzERF6 and DzERF9 during fruit ripening, possibly through transcriptional regulation of ethylene biosynthetic genes.

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Hub microRNAs and genes in the development of atrial fibrillation identified by weighted gene co-expression network analysis

BMC Medical Genomics ◽

10.1186/s12920-021-01124-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Qiang Qu ◽

Jin-Yu Sun ◽

Zhen-Ye Zhang ◽

Yue Su ◽

Shan-Shan Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Network Analysis ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Target Genes ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Mirna Gene ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

Interaction Patterns ◽

Hub Genes ◽

Key Genes

AbstractCo-expression network may contribute to better understanding molecular interaction patterns underlying cellular processes. To explore microRNAs (miRNAs) expression patterns correlated with AF, we performed weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) based on the dataset GSE28954. Thereafter, we predicted target genes using experimentally verified databases (ENOCRI, miRTarBase, and Tarbase), and overlapped genes with differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from GSE79768 were identified as key genes. Integrated analysis of association between hub miRNAs and key genes was conducted to screen hub genes. In general, we identified 3 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and 320 DEGs, predominantly enriched in inflammation-related functional items. Two significant modules (red and blue) and hub miRNAs (hsa-miR-146b-5p and hsa-miR-378a-5p), which highly correlated with AF-related phenotype, were detected by WGCNA. By overlapping the DEGs and predicted target genes, 38 genes were screened out. Finally, 9 genes (i.e. ATP13A3, BMP2, CXCL1, GABPA, LIF, MAP3K8, NPY1R, S100A12, SLC16A2) located at the core region in the miRNA-gene interaction network were identified as hub genes. In conclusion, our study identified 2 hub miRNAs and 9 hub genes, which may improve the understanding of molecular mechanisms and help to reveal potential therapeutic targets against AF.

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Transcriptome-wide identification and expression profiling of the ERF gene family suggest roles as transcriptional activators and repressors of fruit ripening in durian

10.1101/2021.05.17.444443 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Gholamreza Khaksar ◽

Supaart Sirikantaramas

Keyword(s):

Transcriptional Regulation ◽

Fruit Ripening ◽

Expression Profiling ◽

Target Genes ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Ethylene Biosynthesis ◽

Negative Regulator ◽

Ethylene Response Factor ◽

Strong Positive Correlation ◽

Biosynthetic Genes

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Genome-wide analysis of changes in miRNA and target gene expression reveals key roles in heterosis for Chinese cabbage biomass

Horticulture Research ◽

10.1038/s41438-021-00474-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Peirong Li ◽

Tongbing Su ◽

Deshuang Zhang ◽

Weihong Wang ◽

Xiaoyun Xin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chinese Cabbage ◽

Leaf Development ◽

Target Genes ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Seedling Stage ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Small Rna Sequencing ◽

Leaf Morphogenesis ◽

Expression Levels ◽

Parental Lines

AbstractHeterosis is a complex phenomenon in which hybrids show better phenotypic characteristics than their parents do. Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. spp. pekinensis) is a popular leafy crop species, hybrids of which are widely used in commercial production; however, the molecular basis of heterosis for biomass of Chinese cabbage is poorly understood. We characterized heterosis in a Chinese cabbage F1 hybrid cultivar and its parental lines from the seedling stage to the heading stage; marked heterosis of leaf weight and biomass yield were observed. Small RNA sequencing revealed 63 and 50 differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) at the seedling and early-heading stages, respectively. The expression levels of the majority of miRNA clusters in the F1 hybrid were lower than the mid-parent values (MPVs). Using degradome sequencing, we identified 1,819 miRNA target genes. Gene ontology (GO) analyses demonstrated that the target genes of the MPV-DEMs and low parental expression level dominance (ELD) miRNAs were significantly enriched in leaf morphogenesis, leaf development, and leaf shaping. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the expression levels of photosynthesis and chlorophyll synthesis-related MPV-DEGs (differentially expressed genes) were significantly different in the F1 hybrid compared to the parental lines, resulting in increased photosynthesis capacity and chlorophyll content in the former. Furthermore, expression of genes known to regulate leaf development was also observed at the seedling stage. Arabidopsis plants overexpressing BrGRF4.2 and bra-miR396 presented increased and decreased leaf sizes, respectively. These results provide new insight into the regulation of target genes and miRNA expression patterns in leaf size and heterosis for biomass of B. rapa.

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Integrated Analysis of Liver Transcriptome, miRNA, and Proteome of Chinese Indigenous Breed Ningxiang Pig in Three Developmental Stages Uncovers Significant miRNA–mRNA–Protein Networks in Lipid Metabolism

Frontiers in Genetics ◽

10.3389/fgene.2021.709521 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Biao Li ◽

Jinzeng Yang ◽

Yan Gong ◽

Yu Xiao ◽

Qinghua Zeng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lipid Metabolism ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Immune Defense ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Integrated Analysis ◽

Liver Development ◽

Liver Growth ◽

Functional Transformation ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Glycolipid Metabolism

Liver is an important metabolic organ of mammals. During each transitional period of life, liver metabolism is programmed by a complex molecular regulatory system for multiple physiological functions, many pathways of which are regulated by hormones and cytokines, nuclear receptors, and transcription factors. To gain a comprehensive and unbiased molecular understanding of liver growth and development in Ningxiang pigs, we analyzed the mRNA, microRNA (miRNA), and proteomes of the livers of Ningxiang pigs during lactation, nursery, and fattening periods. A total of 22,411 genes (19,653 known mRNAs and 2758 novel mRNAs), 1122 miRNAs (384 known miRNAs and 738 novel miRNAs), and 1123 unique proteins with medium and high abundance were identified by high-throughput sequencing and mass spectrometry. We show that the differences in transcriptional, post-transcriptional, or protein levels were readily identified by comparing different time periods, providing evidence that functional changes that may occur during liver development are widespread. In addition, we found many overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs)/differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs)/differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) related to glycolipid metabolism in any group comparison. These overlapping DEGs/DEMs/DGPs may play an important role in functional transformation during liver development. Short Time-series Expression Miner (STEM) analysis revealed multiple expression patterns of mRNA, miRNA, and protein in the liver. Furthermore, several diverse key Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, including immune defense, glycolipid metabolism, protein transport and uptake, and cell proliferation and development, were identified by combined analysis of DEGs and DGPs. A number of predicted miRNA–mRNA–protein pairs were found and validated by qRT-PCR and parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) assays. The results provide new and important information about the genetic breeding of Ningxiang pigs, which represents a foundation for further understanding the molecular regulatory mechanisms of dynamic development of liver tissue, functional transformation, and lipid metabolism.

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Genome-Wide Identification of Long Non-coding RNA in Trifoliate Orange (Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf) Leaves in Response to Boron Deficiency

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms20215419 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (21) ◽

pp. 5419 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Gao-Feng Zhou ◽

Li-Ping Zhang ◽

Bi-Xian Li ◽

Ou Sheng ◽

Qing-Jiang Wei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Signal Transduction ◽

Plant Hormones ◽

Target Genes ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Poncirus Trifoliata ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Boron Deficiency ◽

Trifoliate Orange ◽

Genome Wide ◽

A Genome

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in plant growth and stress responses. As a dominant abiotic stress factor in soil, boron (B) deficiency stress has impacted the growth and development of citrus in the red soil region of southern China. In the present work, we performed a genome-wide identification and characterization of lncRNAs in response to B deficiency stress in the leaves of trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata), an important rootstock of citrus. A total of 2101 unique lncRNAs and 24,534 mRNAs were predicted. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) experiments were performed for a total of 16 random mRNAs and lncRNAs to validate their existence and expression patterns. Expression profiling of the leaves of trifoliate orange under B deficiency stress identified 729 up-regulated and 721 down-regulated lncRNAs, and 8419 up-regulated and 8395 down-regulated mRNAs. Further analysis showed that a total of 84 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) were up-regulated and 31 were down-regulated, where the number of up-regulated DELs was 2.71-fold that of down-regulated. A similar trend was also observed in differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs, 4.21-fold). Functional annotation of these DEMs was performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses, and the results demonstrated an enrichment of the categories of the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (including phenylpropanoid biosynthesis/lignin biosynthesis), plant hormone signal transduction and the calcium signaling pathway. LncRNA target gene enrichment identified several target genes that were involved in plant hormones, and the expression of lncRNAs and their target genes was significantly influenced. Therefore, our results suggest that lncRNAs can regulate the metabolism and signal transduction of plant hormones, which play an important role in the responses of citrus plants to B deficiency stress. Co-expression network analysis indicated that 468 significantly differentially expressed genes may be potential targets of 90 lncRNAs, and a total of 838 matched lncRNA-mRNA pairs were identified. In summary, our data provides a rich resource of candidate lncRNAs and mRNAs, as well as their related pathways, thereby improving our understanding of the role of lncRNAs in response to B deficiency stress, and in symptom formation caused by B deficiency in the leaves of trifoliate orange.

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Genomewide analysis of circular RNA in pituitaries of normal and heat-stressed sows

BMC Genomics ◽

10.1186/s12864-019-6377-7 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Haojie Zhang ◽

Baoyu Hu ◽

Jiali Xiong ◽

Ting Chen ◽

Qianyun Xi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Heat Shock ◽

Heat Shock Protein ◽

Noncoding Rna ◽

Target Genes ◽

Hormone Secretion ◽

Circular Rna ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Pcr Analysis ◽

Pituitary Hormone

Abstract Background As a newly characterized type of noncoding RNA, circular RNA (circRNA) has been shown to have functions in diverse biological processes of animals. It has been reported that several noncoding RNAs may regulate animals’ response to heat stress which can be easily induced by hyperthermia in summer. However, the expression and functions of circRNAs in the pituitary of sows and whether they participate in heat stress adaption are still unclear. Results In this study, we found that high temperature over the thermoneutral zone of sows during the summer increased the serum heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) level, decreased the superoxide dismutase (SOD) vitality and prolactin (PRL) concentration, and induced heat stress in sows. Then, we explored circRNA in the pituitary of heat-stressed and normal sows using RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. In total, 12,035 circRNAs were detected, with 59 circRNAs differentially expressed, including 42 up-regulated and 17 down-regulated circRNAs in pituitaries of the heat-stressed sows. Six randomly selected circRNAs were identified through reverse transcription PCR followed by DNA sequencing and other 7 randomly selected differentially expressed circRNAs were verified by quantitative real-time PCR analysis. The predicted target genes regulated by circRNAs through sponging microRNAs (miRNAs) were enriched in metabolic pathway. Furthermore, the predicted circRNA–miRNA–mRNA interactions showed that some circRNAs might sponge miRNAs to regulate pituitary-specific genes and heat shock protein family members, indicating circRNA’s roles in pituitary hormone secretion and heat stress response. Conclusions Our results provided a meaningful reference to understand the functions of circRNA in the porcine pituitary and the mechanisms by which circRNA may participate in animals’ response to heat stress.

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Identification of Differentially Expressed MicroRNAs and Their Potential Target Genes in Adipose Tissue from Pigs with Highly Divergent Backfat Thickness

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10040624 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 624

Author(s):

Kai Xing ◽

Xitong Zhao ◽

Yibing Liu ◽

Fengxia Zhang ◽

Zhen Tan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Target Genes ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Fat Deposition ◽

Functional Enrichment ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Backfat Thickness ◽

P Value ◽

Sibling Pairs ◽

Differentially Expressed Mirnas

Fatty traits are very important in pig production. However, the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in fat deposition is not clearly understood. In this study, we compared adipose miRNAs from three full-sibling pairs of female Landrace pigs, with high and low backfat thickness, to investigate the associated regulatory network. We obtained an average of 17.29 million raw reads from six libraries, 62.27% of which mapped to the pig reference genome. A total of 318 pig miRNAs were detected among the samples. Among them, 18 miRNAs were differentially expressed (p-value < 0.05, |log2fold change| ≥ 1) between the high and low backfat groups; 6 were up-regulated and 12 were down-regulated. Functional enrichment of the predicted target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs, indicated that these miRNAs were involved mainly in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, and glycan biosynthesis and metabolism. Comprehensive analysis of the mRNA and miRNA transcriptomes revealed possible regulatory relationships for fat deposition. Negatively correlated mRNA–miRNA pairs included miR-137–PPARGC1A, miR-141–FASN, and miR-122-5p–PKM, indicating these interactions may be key regulators of fat deposition. Our findings provide important insights into miRNA expression patterns in the backfat tissue of pig and new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of fat deposition in pig.

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Long Noncoding RNA Expression Signatures of Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma and Their Prognostic Value

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2015/618924 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Wei Zhang ◽

Lin Wang ◽

Fang Zheng ◽

Ruhai Zou ◽

Changqing Xie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ◽

Disease Progression ◽

Noncoding Rna ◽

Prognostic Value ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Differentially Expressed ◽

Lncrna Expression ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Independent Panel ◽

Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have recently been found to play important roles in various cancer types. The elucidation of genome-wide lncRNA expression patterns in metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) could reveal novel mechanisms underlying NPC carcinogenesis and progression. In this study, lncRNA expression profiling was performed on metastatic and primary NPC tumors, and the differentially expressed lncRNAs between these samples were identified. A total of 33,045 lncRNA probes were generated for our microarray based on authoritative data sources, including RefSeq, UCSC Knowngenes, Ensembl, and related literature. Using these probes, 8,088 lncRNAs were found to be significantly differentially expressed (≥2-fold). To identify the prognostic value of these differentially expressed lncRNAs, four lncRNAs (LOC84740, ENST00000498296, AL359062, and ENST00000438550) were selected; their expression levels were measured in an independent panel of 106 primary NPC samples via QPCR. Among these lncRNAs, ENST00000438550 expression was demonstrated to be significantly correlated with NPC disease progression. A survival analysis showed that a high expression level of ENST00000438550 was an independent indicator of disease progression in NPC patients (P=0.01). In summary, this study may provide novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for NPC, as well as a novel understanding of the mechanism underlying NPC metastasis and potential targets for future treatment.

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