Identification and Characterization of circRNAs in Non-Lactating Dairy Goat Mammary Glands Reveal Their Regulatory Role in Mammary Cell Involution and Remodeling
Rong Xuan,
Jianmin Wang,
Qing Li,
Yanyan Wang,
Shanfeng Du,
Qingling Duan,
Yanfei Guo,
Peipei He,
Zhibin Ji,
Tianle Chao
Affiliations
Rong Xuan
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai’an 271018, China
Jianmin Wang
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai’an 271018, China
Qing Li
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai’an 271018, China
Yanyan Wang
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai’an 271018, China
Shanfeng Du
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai’an 271018, China
Qingling Duan
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai’an 271018, China
Yanfei Guo
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai’an 271018, China
Peipei He
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai’an 271018, China
Zhibin Ji
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai’an 271018, China
Tianle Chao
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and Disease Control and Prevention, Shandong Agricultural University, 61 Daizong Street, Tai’an 271018, China
This study conducted transcriptome sequencing of goat-mammary-gland tissue at the late lactation (LL), dry period (DP), and late gestation (LG) stages to reveal the expression characteristics and molecular functions of circRNAs during mammary involution. A total of 11,756 circRNAs were identified in this study, of which 2528 circRNAs were expressed in all three stages. The number of exonic circRNAs was the largest, and the least identified circRNAs were antisense circRNAs. circRNA source gene analysis found that 9282 circRNAs were derived from 3889 genes, and 127 circRNAs’ source genes were unknown. Gene Ontology (GO) terms, such as histone modification, regulation of GTPase activity, and establishment or maintenance of cell polarity, were significantly enriched (FDR < 0.05), which indicates the functional diversity of circRNAs’ source genes. A total of 218 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified during the non-lactation period. The number of specifically expressed circRNAs was the highest in the DP and the lowest in LL stages. These indicated temporal specificity of circRNA expression in mammary gland tissues at different developmental stages. In addition, this study also constructed circRNA–miRNA–mRNA competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks related to mammary development, immunity, substance metabolism, and apoptosis. These findings help understand the regulatory role of circRNAs in mammary cell involution and remodeling.
