Pituitary Transcriptomic Study Reveals the Differential Regulation of lncRNAs and mRNAs Related to Prolificacy in Different FecB Genotyping Sheep

• Main Authors: Jian Zheng, Zhibo Wang, Hua Yang, Xiaolei Yao, Pengcheng Yang, CaiFang Ren, Feng Wang, YanLi Zhang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-02-01
• Series: Genes
• Subjects: lncRNA; pituitary function; RNA-Seq; Hu sheep
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4425/10/2/157

Long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) have been identified as important regulators in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis associated with sheep prolificacy. However, their expression pattern and potential roles in the pituitary are yet unclear. To explore the potential mRNAs and lncRNAs that regulate the expression of the genes involved in sheep prolificacy, we used stranded specific RNA-seq to profile the pituitary transcriptome (lncRNA and mRNA) in high prolificacy (genotype <i>FecB</i> BB, litter size = 3; H) and low prolificacy sheep (genotype <i>FecB</i> B+; litter size = 1; L). Our results showed that 57 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and 298 DE mRNAs were found in the pituitary between the two groups. The qRT-PCR results correlated well with the RNA-seq results. Moreover, functional annotation analysis showed that the target genes of the DE lncRNAs were significantly enriched in pituitary function, hormone-related pathways as well as response to stimulus and some other terms related to reproduction. Furthermore, a co-expression network of lncRNAs and target genes was constructed and reproduction related genes such as <i>SMAD2</i>, <i>NMB</i> and <i>EFNB3</i> were included. Lastly, the interaction of candidate lncRNA MSTRG.259847.2 and its target gene <i>SMAD2</i> were validated in vitro of sheep pituitary cells. These differential mRNA and lncRNA expression profiles provide a valuable resource for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Hu sheep prolificacy.