scholarly journals Study on the Effect of Macrophages on Vascular Endothelium in Mice With Different TCM Syndromes of Dyslipidemia and its Biological Basis Based on RNA-Seq Technology

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Chen ◽  
Chao Ye ◽  
Zheng Yang ◽  
Tieshan Wang ◽  
Bing Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Differentially Expressed Genes ◽  
Normal Control ◽  
Normal Control Group ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Pathogenic Factors ◽  
Protective Processes

Background: “Treating the same disease with different methods” is a Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapeutic concept suggesting that, while patients may be diagnosed with the same disease, they may also have different syndromes that require distinct drug administrations.Objective: This study aimed to identify the differentially expressed genes and related biological processes in dyslipidemia in relation to phlegm–dampness retention (PDR) syndrome and spleen and kidney Yang deficiency (SKYD) syndrome using transcriptomic analysis.Methods: Ten ApoE−/− mice were used for the establishment of dyslipidemic disease–syndrome models via multifactor-hybrid modeling, with five in the PDR group and five in the SKYD group. Additionally, five C57BL/6J mice were employed as a normal control group. Test model-quality aortic endothelial macrophages in mice were screened using flow cytometry. Transcriptomic analysis was performed for macrophages using RNA-Seq.Results: A quality assessment of the disease–syndrome model showed that levels of lipids significantly increased in the PDR and SKYD groups, compared to the normal control group, p < 0.05. Applying, in addition, hematoxylin and eosin staining of aorta, the disease model was also successfully established. A quality assessment of the syndrome models showed that mice in the PDR group presented with typical manifestations of PDR syndrome, and mice in the SKYD group had related manifestations of SKYD syndrome, indicating that the syndrome models were successfully constructed as well. After comparing the differentially expressed gene expressions in macrophages of the dyslipidemic mice with different syndromes, 4,142 genes were identified with statistical significance, p < 0.05. Gene ontology analysis for the differentially expressed genes showed that the biological process of difference between the PDR group and the SKYD group included both adverse and protective processes.Conclusion: The differentially expressed genes between PDR syndrome and SKYD syndrome indicate different biological mechanisms between the onsets of the two syndromes. They have distinctive biological processes, including adverse and protective processes that correspond to the invasion of pathogenic factors into the body and the fight of healthy Qi against pathogenic factors, respectively, according to TCM theory. Our results provide biological evidence for the TCM principle of “treating the same disease with different treatments.”

scholarly journals Two-Way Impacts Between Macrophages on Vascular Endothelium and Characteristics of TCM Syndromes in Dyslipidemic Mice with the Phlegm-Dampness Retention syndrome and the Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency syndrome Using RNA-Seq

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Chen ◽  
Chao Ye ◽  
Zheng Yang ◽  
Tieshan Wang ◽  
Bing Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assessment ◽  
The Body ◽  
Transcriptomic Analysis ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Test Model ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Pathogenic Factors ◽  
Kidney Yang Deficiency ◽  
Protective Processes

Abstract Background: ‘Treating the same disease with different methods’ is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapeutic concept. That means although patients are diagnosed with the same disease, they may have different syndromes that require distinct drug administrations. This study aimed to identify the differentially expressed genes and related biological processes in dyslipidemia with the Phlegm-Dampness Retention (PDR) syndrome and the Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency (SKYD) syndrome using transcriptomic analysis.Methods: Ten ApoE knockout (ApoE-/-) mice were used for the establishment of dyslipidemic disease-syndrome models via multifactor-hybrid modeling, with 5 in the the PDR group and 5 in the SKYD group. Five C57BL/6J mice were employed as normal controls (NC) group. Test model quality. Aortic endothelial macrophages in mice were screened using flow cytometry. Transcriptomic analysis was performed for macrophages using RNA-Seq.Results: ①The quality assessment of the disease-syndrome model showed that TG, TC, and LDL-C levels significantly increased in the PDR and SKYD groups versus the NC group (P < 0.05). Combined with HE staining of aorta, the disease model was successfully established. ②The quality assessment of the syndrome models showed that mice in the PDR group presented with typical manifestations of the PDR syndrome, and mice in the SKYD group had the related manifestations of the SKYD syndrome, indicating that the syndrome models were successfully constructed. ③After comparing the differentially expressed gene (DEG) expressions in macrophages in dyslipidemia mice with different syndromes, 4142 genes were identified with statistical significance (P < 0.05). The Gene Ontology (GO) analysis for the DEGs showed that biological process of difference between PDR group and SKYD group include both adverse and protective processes were included.Conclusion: The DEGs between the PDR syndrome and the SKYD syndrome indicate different biological mechanisms between the onset of the two syndromes. They have distinctive biological processes, including adverse and protective processes, corresponding to the invasion of pathogenic factors into the body and the fight of healthy qi against pathogenic factors, respectively, in the TCM theory. Our results have demonstrated the biological evidence behind ‘treating the same disease with different treatments’ in TCM.

scholarly journals Study on potential differentially expressed genes in stroke by bioinformatics analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xitong Yang ◽  
Pengyu Wang ◽  
Shanquan Yan ◽  
Guangming Wang
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Differentially Expressed Genes ◽  
Normal Control ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Normal Control Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Ppi Network ◽  
Hub Genes ◽  
Pathway Enrichment ◽  
Key Genes

AbstractStroke is a sudden cerebrovascular circulatory disorder with high morbidity, disability, mortality, and recurrence rate, but its pathogenesis and key genes are still unclear. In this study, bioinformatics was used to deeply analyze the pathogenesis of stroke and related key genes, so as to study the potential pathogenesis of stroke and provide guidance for clinical treatment. Gene Expression profiles of GSE58294 and GSE16561 were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between IS and normal control group. The different expression genes (DEGs) between IS and normal control group were screened with the GEO2R online tool. The Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of the DEGs were performed. Using the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), the function and pathway enrichment analysis of DEGS were performed. Then, a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed via the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) database. Cytoscape with CytoHubba were used to identify the hub genes. Finally, NetworkAnalyst was used to construct the targeted microRNAs (miRNAs) of the hub genes. A total of 85 DEGs were screened out in this study, including 65 upward genes and 20 downward genes. In addition, 3 KEGG pathways, cytokine − cytokine receptor interaction, hematopoietic cell lineage, B cell receptor signaling pathway, were significantly enriched using a database for labeling, visualization, and synthetic discovery. In combination with the results of the PPI network and CytoHubba, 10 hub genes including CEACAM8, CD19, MMP9, ARG1, CKAP4, CCR7, MGAM, CD79A, CD79B, and CLEC4D were selected. Combined with DEG-miRNAs visualization, 5 miRNAs, including hsa-mir-146a-5p, hsa-mir-7-5p, hsa-mir-335-5p, and hsa-mir-27a- 3p, were predicted as possibly the key miRNAs. Our findings will contribute to identification of potential biomarkers and novel strategies for the treatment of ischemic stroke, and provide a new strategy for clinical therapy.

scholarly journals RNA-Seq Analysis Identifies Differentially Expressed Genes in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue in Qaidaford Cattle, Cattle-Yak, and Angus Cattle

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengchuang Song ◽  
Yongzhen Huang ◽  
Zhaoxin Yang ◽  
Yulin Ma ◽  
Buren Chaogetu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
Meat Quality ◽  
Differentially Expressed Genes ◽  
Transcriptome Analysis ◽  
Cell Metabolism ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Receptor Interaction ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Angus Cattle

In the beef industry, fat tissue is closely related to meat quality. In this study, high-throughput RNA sequencing was utilized for adipose tissue transcriptome analysis between cattle-yak, Qaidamford cattle, and Angus cattle. The screening and identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between different breeds of cattle would facilitate cattle breeding. Compared to Angus cattle adipose tissue, a total of 4167 DEGs were identified in cattle-yak adipose tissue and 3269 DEGs were identified in Qaidamford cattle adipose tissue. Considering cattle-yak as a control group, 154 DEGs were identified in Qaidamford cattle adipose tissue. GO analysis indicated the significant enrichment of some DEGs related to lipid metabolism. The KEGG pathway database was also used to map DEGs and revealed that most annotated genes were involved in ECM-receptor interaction and the PI3K-Akt signal pathway, which are closely related to cell metabolism. Eight selected DEGs related to adipose tissue development or metabolism were verified by RT-qPCR, indicating the reliability of the RNA-seq data. The results of this comparative transcriptome analysis of adipose tissue and screening DEGs suggest several candidates for further investigations of meat quality in different cattle breeds.

scholarly journals Effect of hyperoside on cervical cancer cells and transcriptome analysis of differentially expressed genes

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Weikang Guo ◽  
Hui Yu ◽  
Lu Zhang ◽  
Xiuwei Chen ◽  
Yunduo Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Differentially Expressed Genes ◽  
Interaction Network ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Network Construction ◽  
Target Network ◽  
Key Genes

Abstract Background Hyperoside (Hy) is a plant-derived quercetin 3-d-galactoside that exhibits inhibitory activities on various tumor types. The objective of the current study was to explore Hy effects on cervical cancer cell proliferation, and to perform a transcriptome analysis of differentially expressed genes. Methods Cervical cancer HeLa and C-33A cells were cultured and the effect of Hy treatment was determined using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. After calculating the IC50 of Hy in HeLa and C-33A cells, the more sensitive to Hy treatment cell type was selected for RNA-Seq. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by comparing gene expression between the Hy and control groups. Candidate genes were determined through DEG analysis, protein interaction network (PPI) construction, PPI module analysis, transcription factor (TF) prediction, TF-target network construction, and survival analysis. Finally, the key candidate genes were verified by RT-qPCR and western blot. Results Hy inhibited HeLa and C33A cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner, as determined by the CCK-8 assay. Treatment of C-33A cells with 2 mM Hy was selected for the subsequent experiments. Compared with the control group, 754 upregulated and 509 downregulated genes were identified after RNA-Seq. After functional enrichment, 74 gene ontology biological processes and 43 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways were obtained. According to the protein interaction network (PPI), PPI module analysis, TF-target network construction, and survival analysis, the key genes MYC, CNKN1A, PAX2, TFRC, ACOX2, UNC5B, APBA1, PRKACA, PEAR1, COL12A1, CACNA1G, PEAR1, and CCNA2 were detected. RT-qPCR was performed on the key genes, and Western blot was used to verify C-MYC and TFRC. C-MYC and TFRC expressions were lower and higher than the corresponding values in the control group, respectively, in accordance with the results from the RNA-Seq analysis. Conclusion Hy inhibited HeLa and C-33A cell proliferation through C-MYC gene expression reduction in C-33A cells and TFRC regulation. The results of the current study provide a theoretical basis for Hy treatment of cervical cancer.

scholarly journals Dorsal Striatum Transcriptome Profile Profound Shift in Repeated Aggression Mouse Model Converged to Networks of 12 Transcription Factors after Fighting Deprivation

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Vladimir Babenko ◽  
Olga Redina ◽  
Dmitry Smagin ◽  
Irina Kovalenko ◽  
Anna Galyamina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Differentially Expressed Genes ◽  
Expression Profile ◽  
Transcriptional Repression ◽  
Gene Networks ◽  
Dorsal Striatum ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Withdrawal Effect ◽  
Transcriptome Expression

Both aggressive and aggression-deprived (AD) species represent pathologic cases intensely addressed in psychiatry and substance abuse disciplines. Previously, we reported that AD mice displayed a higher aggressive behavior score than the aggressive group, implying the manifestation of a withdrawal effect. We employed an animal model of chronic social conflicts, curated in our lab for more than 30 years. In the study, we pursued the task of evaluating key events in the dorsal striatum transcriptome of aggression experienced mice and AD species compared to controls using RNA-Seq profiling. Aggressive species were subjected to repeated social conflict encounters (fights) with regular positive (winners) experience in the course of 20 consecutive days (A20 group). This led to a profoundly shifted transcriptome expression profile relative to the control group, outlined by more than 1000 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). RNA-Seq cluster analysis revealed that elevated cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling cascade and associated genes comprising 170 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in aggressive (A20) species were accompanied by a downturn in the majority of other metabolic/signaling gene networks (839 DEGs) via the activation of transcriptional repressor DEGs. Fourteen days of a consecutive fighting deprivation period (AD group) featured the basic restoration of the normal (control) transcriptome expression profile yielding only 62 DEGs against the control. Notably, we observed a network of 12 coordinated DEG Transcription Factor (TF) activators from 62 DEGs in total that were distinctly altered in AD compared to control group, underlining the distinct transcription programs featuring AD group, partly retained from the aggressive encounters and not restored to normal in 14 days. We found circadian clock TFs among them, reported previously as a withdrawal effect factor. We conclude that the aggressive phenotype selection with positive reward effect (winning) manifests an addiction model featuring a distinct opioid-related withdrawal effect in AD group. Along with reporting profound transcriptome alteration in A20 group and gaining some insight on its specifics, we outline specific TF activator gene networks associated with transcriptional repression in affected species compared to controls, outlining Nr1d1 as a primary candidate, thus offering putative therapeutic targets in opioid-induced withdrawal treatment.

scholarly journals Complement C3a Not C4a Activates Osteoclasts By Regulating the PI3K/PDK1/SGK3 Pathway in Patients with Multiple Myeloma

Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 4416-4416
Author(s):  
Rong Fu ◽  
Fengjuan Jiang ◽  
Hui Liu ◽  
Zhaoyun Liu ◽  
Siyang Yan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Differentially Expressed Genes ◽  
Bone Disease ◽  
Cathepsin K ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Relative Expression ◽  
Absorption Area ◽  
Osteoclast Resorption

Objective: Myeloma bone disease (MBD) is the most common complication of multiple myeloma (MM). We found that the serum levels of C3/C4 in MM patients were significantly positive correlated with the severity of bone disease in our previously study. Thus, we conduct detailed studies to explore the effect and potential mechanism of C3a/C4a on osteoclasts in patients with MM. Methods: By adding C3a/C4a to culture system of osteoclasts induced from mononuclear cells in vitro, and the expression of related gene, number and function of osteoclasts were detected. RNA-Seq analysis was used to detect the differentially expressed genes on osteoclasts between the complement group and control group, and the possible signal pathways were analyzed. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blot and pathway inhibitors were used for further validation. R esults: In vitro, the osteoclasts area per view induced by C3a 1μg/ml (52.794±13.027 %) and 10μg/ml (51.797±12.464 %) was significantly increased than control group (0μg/ml) (33.668±8.427 %) (P<0.001; P<0.001), the mRNA relative expression of osteoclasts related genes OSCAR/TRAP/RANKL/Cathepsin K induced by C3a 1μg/ml (median 5.041; 3.726; 1.638; 4.752) and 10μg/ml (median 5.140; 3.702; 2.250; 5.172) was significantly increased than control group (0μg/ml) (median 3.137; 2.004; 0.573; 2.257) (1μg/ml P=0.001; P=0.003; P<0.001; P=0.008; 1μg/ml P<0.001; P=0.019; P<0.001; P=0.002), and the absorption area of osteoclast resorption pit per view induced by C3a 1μg/ml (51.464±11.983 %) and 10μg/ml (50.219±12.067 %) was also significantly increased than control group (0μg/ml) (33.845±8.331 %) (P<0.001; P<0.001) in NDMM patients. There was no difference among the osteoclasts area, relative expression of osteoclasts related genes and absorption area of osteoclast resorption pit between C4a (1μg/ml and 10μg/ml) group and control group (0μg/ml). RNA-Seq was performed on total RNA of osteoclasts induced by C3a in 1μg/ml group and 0μg/ml group of 4 patients with NDMM. There were 184 differentially expressed genes that were detected by RNA-Seq analysis. KEGG Pathway enrichment bubble chart shows C3a may through Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathways (including PI3K-Akt pathway and AKT-independent signaling pathway) promotes the proliferation of osteoclast. Upregulated differentially expressed genes in this pathway among at least 3 patients with sequencing were validated by qRT-PCR and Western Blot. It was found that the relative expression level of Phosphoinositide dependent kinase-1 (PDK1) / Serum and glucocorticoid inducible protein kinases (SGK3) genes (median 2.078; 4.428) in C3a group (1μg/ml) was significantly higher than control group (0μg/ml) (median 1.336; 1.714) (P<0.001; P=0.001). The relative grayscale levels of PDK1/ P-SGK3 protein (1.785±0.323; 2.190±0.274) in C3a group (1μg/ml) was significantly stronger than control group (0μg/ml) (0.8653±0.588; 0.176±0.152) (P=0.034; P<0.001). Under the action of C3a in patients with NDMM, osteoclasts area per view in SGK inhibitor (EMD638683) 1μM group (39.244±9.089 %) and 10μM group (39.299±9.587 %) significantly reduced than control group (0μM) (54.884±12.837 %) (P<0.001; P<0.001), the relative expression of osteoclast related genes OSCAR/RANKL/TRAP/Cathepsin K in EMD638683 1μM group (median 0.869; 1.097; 0.902; 1.328) and 10μM group (median 0.703; 1.391; 0.843; 1.418) significantly decreased than control group (0μM) (median 2.270; 3.024; 2.208; 3.237) (1μM P=0.015; P=0.002; P=0.003; P=0.015; 10μM P=0.012; P=0.006; P<0.001; P=0.017), and the absorption area per view of osteoclast resorption pit in EMD638683 1μM (35.383±7.794 %) group and 10μM group (32.886±8.993 %) significantly reduced than control group (0μM) (49.358±11.856 %) (P < 0.001; P < 0.001). Conclusions:ComplementC3a activates osteoclasts by regulating the PI3K/PDK1/SGK3 pathway in patients with MM, thus leading to the occurrence of bone diseases. SGK inhibitor has a significant inhibitory effect on osteoclasts in patients with MM. This study provide important evidences for the search for new therapeutic targets and strategies for myeloma bone disease patients. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

scholarly journals The long non-coding RNA MEG3 plays critical roles in the pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstone

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10803
Author(s):  
Changlin Qian ◽  
Weiqing Qiu ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Zhiyong Shen ◽  
Hua Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Normal Control ◽  
Regulatory Network ◽  
Cholesterol Gallstone ◽  
Normal Control Group ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Ppi Network ◽  
Model Group ◽  
Qrt Pcr

Background Cholesterol gallstone (CG) is the most common gallstone disease, which is induced by biliary cholesterol supersaturation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the pathogenesis of CG. Methods Sixteen mice were equally and randomly divided into model group and normal control group. The model group was fed with lithogenic diets to induce CG, and then gallbladder bile lipid analysis was performed. After RNA-seq library was constructed, differentially expressed mRNAs (DE-mRNAs) and differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) between model group and normal control group were analyzed by DESeq2 package. Using the cluster Profiler package, enrichment analysis for the DE-mRNAs was carried out. Based on Cytoscape software, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network were built. Using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis, the key RNAs were validated. Results The mouse model of CG was suc cessfully established, and then 181 DE-mRNAs and 33 DE-lncRNAs between model and normal groups were obtained. Moreover, KDM4A was selected as a hub node in the PPI network, and lncRNA MEG3 was considered as a key lncRNA in the regulatory network. Additionally, the miR-107-5p/miR-149-3p/miR-346-3-MEG3 regulatory pairs and MEG3-PABPC4/CEP131/NUMB1 co-expression pairs existed in the regulatory network. The qRT-PCR analysis showed that KDM4A expression was increased, and the expressions of MEG3, PABPC4, CEP131, and NUMB1 were downregulated. Conclusion These RNAs might be related to the pathogenesis of CG.

scholarly journals The long non-coding RNA MEG3 plays critical roles in the pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstone

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changlin Qian ◽  
Hua Liu ◽  
Weijing Qiu ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Zhiyong Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Normal Control ◽  
Regulatory Network ◽  
Cholesterol Gallstone ◽  
Gallstone Disease ◽  
Lipid Hydroperoxide ◽  
Normal Control Group ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Ppi Network ◽  
Model Group

Abstract Background: Cholesterol gallstone (CG) is the most common gallstone disease, which is induced by biliary cholesterol supersaturation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the pathogenesis of CG. Methods: Sixteen mice were equally and randomly divided into model group and normal control group. The model group was fed with lithogenic diets to induce CG, and then gallbladder bile lipid analysis was performed. After RNA-seq library was constructed, differentially expressed mRNAs (DE-mRNAs) and differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) between model group and normal control group were analyzed by DESeq2 package. Using clusterProfiler package, enrichment analysis for the DE-mRNAs was carried out. Based on Cytoscape software, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network were built. Results: The mouse model of CG was successfully established, and then 181 DE-mRNAs and 33 DE-lncRNAs between model and normal groups were selected. For the down-regulated SCP2 , lipid hydroperoxide transport was enriched. Moreover, KDM4A was selected as a hub node in the PPI network, and MEG3 was taken as a key lncRNA in the regulatory network. Additionally, the miR-107-5p/miR-149-3p/miR-346-3p—MEG3 regulatory pairs and MEG3—PABPC4/CEP131/NUMB1 co-expression pairs existed in the regulatory network. Conclusion: These RNAs might be related to the pathogenesis of CG.

scholarly journals Transcriptome analysis of fasting caecotrophy on hepatic lipid metabolism in New Zealand rabbits

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
yadong wang ◽  
Huifen Xu ◽  
Guirong Sun ◽  
Mingming Xue ◽  
Shuaijie Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Differentially Expressed Genes ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Final Body Weight

Background: Rabbit produce two kinds of feces: hard and soft feces, and they have a preference for consuming the latter. Although this habit of rabbits has been reported for many years, little is known on whether this behavior will impact growth performance and metabolism. The RNA-Seq technology is an effective means of analyzing transcript groups to clarify molecular mechanisms. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of fasting caecotrophy on growth performance and lipid metabolism in rabbits. Results: Our results indicated that, compared with the control group, the final body weight, weight gain, liver weight, specific growth rate and feed conversion ratio were all decreased in the experimental group (P<0.05). Oil red staining of the liver tissue indicated that fasting caecotrophy resulted in decrease of lipid droplet accumulation. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis revealed a total of 301.2 million raw reads approximately 45.06 Gb of high-quality clean data. The data were mapped to the rabbit genome (http://www.ensembl.org/Oryctolagus_cuniculus). After a five step filtering process, 14964 genes were identified, including 444 differentially expressed genes (P<0.05, foldchange≥1). Especially for remarkable changes of genes related to lipid metabolism, RT-PCR further validated the remarkable decrease of these genes in fasting caecotrophy group, including CYP7A1, PPARG, ABCA1, ABCB1, ABCG1, GPAM, SREBP, etc. KEGG annotation of the differentially expressed genes indicated that the main pathways affected were retinol metabolism, pentose and glucuronide interactions, starch and sucrose metabolism, fatty acid degradation, steroid hormone biosynthesis. Conclusion: In conclusion, the present study revealed that banning caecotrophy reduced growth rate and altered lipid metabolism, our results laid instructive basis for rabbit feeding and production. These data also provides a reference for studying the effects of soft feces on other small herbivores.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document