scholarly journals Ovarian Circular RNAs Associated with High and Low Fertility in Large White Sows during the Follicular and Luteal Phases of the Estrous Cycle

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 696
Author(s):  
Huiyan Hu ◽  
Jianzhong Xi ◽  
Bo Zhou ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Zhiqiang Li ◽  
...  

In this study, the ovarian tissues of Large White pigs were mined for novel circular RNAs (circRNAs), following which, their molecular characteristics and potential mechanisms for fertility regulation were examined. RNA sequencing was used for transcriptome analysis of ovarian follicles and corpora lutea in Large White sows with high (H) and low (L) fertility during the follicular (F) and luteal (L) phases of the estrous cycle. In total, 21,386 circRNA derived from 4535 host genes were identified. Differentially expressed circRNAs were detected in the LH vs. LL (1079) and in the FH vs. FL (1077) comparisons, and their host genes were enriched in steroid biosynthesis and forkhead box O (FOXO), thyroid hormone, cell cycle, and tumor growth factor (TGF)-beta signaling pathways. Protein–protein interaction networks were constructed on the basis of the host genes that were significantly enriched in pathways related to reproductive processes, with AKT3 and PP2CB serving as the hub genes in the networks of the LH vs. LL and FH vs. FL comparisons, respectively. The microRNA (miRNA) binding sites of the differentially expressed circRNAs were predicted, and 128 (LH vs. LL) and 113 (FH vs. FL) circRNA–miRNA pairs were identified. Finally, circRNA–miRNA negative regulatory networks were established on the basis of the gene expression profiles and bioinformatic analyses. In the current study, differentially expressed circRNAs were observed in ovarian tissues between the H and L fertility groups in both F and L phases of the estrous cycle, which suggested roles in pig fertility regulation. These findings provide new clues for elucidating fertility differences in pigs.

Author(s):  
Han-Wen Chen ◽  
Xiao-Xia Zhang ◽  
Zhu-Ding Peng ◽  
Zu-Min Xing ◽  
Yi-Wen Zhang ◽  
...  

AbstractTreatment of bone cancer pain (BCP) caused by bone metastasis in advanced cancers remains a challenge in clinical oncology, and the underlying mechanisms of BCP are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the pathogenic roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in regulating cancer cell proliferation and BCP development. Eight differentially expressed circRNAs in the rat spinal cord were validated by agarose gel electrophoresis and Sanger sequencing. Expression of circRNAs and mRNAs was detected by quantitative RT-PCR. MTS assay and flow cytometry were performed to analyze cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Differentially expressed mRNA profiles were characterized by deep RNA sequencing, hierarchical clustering, and functional categorization. The interactions among circRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), and mRNAs were predicted using TargetScan. Additionally, western blot was performed to determine the protein levels of Pax8, Isg15, and Cxcl10. Multiple circRNAs were differentially expressed in the spinal cords of BCP model rats; of these, circSlc7a11 showed the greatest increase in expression. The overexpression of circSlc7a11 significantly promoted cell proliferation and repressed apoptosis of LLC-WRC 256 and UMR-106 cells, whereas circSlc7a11 silencing produced the opposite effects. Altered expression of circSlc7a11 also induced substantial changes in the mRNA expression profiles of LLC-WRC 256 cells; these changes were linked to multiple apoptotic processes and signaling pathways, such as the chemokine signaling pathway, and formed a complex circRNA/miRNA/mRNA network. Additionally, Pax8, Isg15, and Cxc110 protein level in LLC-WRC 256 cells was consistent with the mRNA results. The circRNA circSlc7a11 regulates rat BCP development by modulating LLC-WRC 256 cell proliferation and apoptosis through multiple-signaling mechanisms.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawei Zhang ◽  
Wenjing Wu ◽  
Xin Huang ◽  
Ke Xu ◽  
Cheng Zheng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Chinese domestic pig breeds are reputed for pork quality, but their low ratio of lean-to-fat carcass weight decreases production efficiency. A better understanding of the genetic regulation network of SC fat tissue is necessary for the rational selection of Chinese domestic pig breeds. In the present study, SC adipocytes were isolated from Jiaxing Black pigs (a Chinese indigenous pig breed with redundant SC fat deposition) and Large White pigs (a lean-type pig breed with relatively low SC fat deposition) and the expression profiles of mRNAs and lncRNAs were compared by RNA-seq analysis to identify biomarkers correlated with the differences of SC fat deposition between the two breeds.Results: A total of 3,371 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 1,182 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) were identified in SC adipocytes between Jiaxing Black (JX) and Large White (LW) pigs, which included 797 upregulated mRNAs, 2,574 downregulated mRNAs, 461 upregulated lncRNAs and 721 downregulated lncRNAs. Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that the DEGs and DELs were mainly involved in the immune response, cell fate determination, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and MAPK signaling pathway, which are known to be related to adipogenesis and lipid metabolism. The expression levels of DEGs and DELs according to the RNA-seq data were verified by quantitative PCR, which showed 81.8% consistency. The differences in MAPK pathway activity between JX and LW pigs was confirmed by western blot analysis, with <100-fold elevated p38 phosphorylation in JX pigs.Conclusions: This study offers a detailed characterization of mRNAs and lncRNAs in fat- and lean-type pig breeds. The activity of the MAPK signaling pathway was found to be associated with subcutaneous adipogenesis. These results greatly enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating SC fat deposition in pigs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 77 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanjun Liu ◽  
Chunmin Hu ◽  
Yina Sun ◽  
Haoqing Wu ◽  
Xiaojun Chen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Non-coding circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been shown to have important roles in many diseases; however, no study has indicated circRNAs are involved in Chlamydia trachomatis infection. In this study, we used circRNA microarray to measure the global circRNA expression profiles in HeLa cells with or without C. trachomatis serovar E (Ct.E) infection. CircRNA/miRNA/mRNA interactions were predicted and bioinformatics analyses were performed. The differentially expressed circRNAs were selected according to our criterion for validation by reverse-transcription and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The mRNA microarray was used to detect the mRNA expression profiles after Ct.E infection. Among 853 differentially expressed circRNAs, 453 were upregulated and 400 were downregulated after Ct.E infection. Target miRNAs and miRNA-targeted mRNAs of these circRNAs were predicted. RT-qPCR analysis indicated hsa_circRNA_001226, hsa_circRNA_007046 and hsa_circRNA_400027 were elevated similar to those determined in the circRNA microarray analysis. The mRNA microarray results showed 915 genes were upregulated and 619 genes were downregulated after Ct.E infection. Thirty-four differentially expressed genes overlapped in the bioinformatics and mRNA microarray results. KEGG pathway analysis revealed several signaling pathways, including endocytosis, MAPK and PI3P-Akt signaling pathways, that were targeted by circRNAs may play important roles in Chlamydia infection. This study provides evidence that circRNAs in host cells are involved in the process of Chlamydia infection.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Jianqiang Kou ◽  
Guoming Liu ◽  
Xiangyun Liu ◽  
Tianmi Li ◽  
Ying Wei ◽  
...  

Recent studies have reported that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a crucial regulatory role in a variety of human diseases. However, the roles of circRNAs in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) remain unclear. In this study, we conducted circRNA expression profiling of the spinal ligament tissues of patients with AS by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and analyzed the potential functions of differentially expressed circRNA by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses to investigate the potential mechanisms associated with AS. The results showed that a total of 1,172 circRNAs were detected in the spinal ligament tissue samples, of which 123 circRNAs were significantly differentially expressed by a fold change≥1.5 and p value < 0.05. Among these, 57 circRNAs were upregulated, and 66 were downregulated. GO and KEGG analyses demonstrated that the differentially expressed circRNAs were mainly involved in the regulation of biological processes of peptidyl-serine phosphorylation and human immune system that may be related to AS. In addition, the circRNA/miRNA interaction networks were established to predict the potential roles of differentially expressed circRNAs by bioinformatics analysis. Taken together, these results revealed the expression profiles of circRNAs and the potential functions of the differentially expressed circRNAs in the spinal ligament tissue of patients with AS, which may provide new clues for understanding the mechanisms associated with AS, and proceed to identify novel potential molecular targets for the diagnoses and treatment of AS.


2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 571-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shunmin Wang ◽  
Jingchuan Sun ◽  
Haisong Yang ◽  
Weiguo Zou ◽  
Bing Zheng ◽  
...  

AbstractThe functional changes of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells are considered to be the initiating factors of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD), and the differentially expressed circRNAs in NP cells may play an important role in the process of IDD. To identify circular RNAs (circRNAs) associated with human IDD, we isolated the NP cells from human degenerated and non-degenerated intervertebral disc and identified NP cells by microscopy and cell proliferation. CircRNA microarray expression profiles were obtained from NP cells of degenerated and non-degenerated intervertebral disc and further validated by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). The expression data were analyzed by bioinformatics. Microarray analysis identified 7294 circRNAs differentially expressed in degenerated human IDD NP cells. Among them, 3724 circRNAs were up-regulated and 3570 circRNAs were down-regulated by more than 2 folds. After validating by qRT-PCR, we predicted the possible miRNAs of the top dysregulated circRNAs using TargetScan, and miRanda. Furthermore, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis showed that the most modulated circRNAs regulate the viability, degradation, apoptosis and oxidative stress in NP cells, and the possible mechanism underlying IDD was discussed. These results revealed that circRNAs may play a role in IDD and might be a promising candidate molecular target for gene therapy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 1271-1281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiajia Zheng ◽  
Zhenrong Li ◽  
Tiancheng Wang ◽  
Yang Zhao ◽  
Yongfeng Wang

Background/Aims: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a crucial role in the occurrence of several diseases, including autoimmune diseases. However, their role in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) remains unclear. Here, we aimed to determine the circRNA expression profile in plasma from PBC patients and further explore the value of circRNA in diagnosing PBC. Methods: CircRNA microarrays were used to determine circRNA expression profiles in plasma samples from 6 PBC patients and 6 healthy controls. Statistical analyses identified differentially expressed circRNAs, and these circRNAs were verified by qRT-PCR in 29 PBC patients and 30 healthy controls. MicroRNA (miRNA) target prediction software identified putative miRNA response elements (MREs), which were used to construct a map of circRNA-miRNA interactions for the differentially expressed circRNAs. Results: Our results indicated that there were 18 up-regulated and 4 down-regulated circular RNAs in the plasma from PBC patients compared with that from healthy individuals. Among the differentially expressed circRNAs, hsa_circ_402458 (P=0.0033), hsa_circ_087631 and hsa_circ_406329 (P=0.0185) were up-regulated, and hsa_circ_407176 (P=0.0066) and hsa_circ_082319 were down-regulated in the PBC group versus the healthy group as demonstrated by qRT-PCR. In particular, hsa_circ_402458 was significantly higher in PBC patients not receiving UDCA treatment than in PBC patients receiving UDCA treatment (P=0.0338). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for hsa_circ_402458 for diagnosing PBC was 0.710 (P=0.005). For hsa_circ_402458, two putative miRNA targets, hsa-miR-522-3p and hsa-miR-943, were predicted. Conclusions: circRNA dysregulation may play a role in PBC pathogenesis, and hsa_circ_402458 shows promise as a candidate biomarker for PBC.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangwei Li ◽  
Hong Wang ◽  
Hongyan Tao ◽  
Fanqi Wu ◽  
Dan Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Recent studies have found a regulatory role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, the function and underlying molecular mechanism of circRNAs involved in IPF are uncertain and incomplete. This study aimed to further provide some critical information for the circRNA function in IPF using bioinformatic analysis. Methods: We searched in the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to find the circRNA expression profiles of human IPF. The microarray data GSE102660 was obtained and differentially expressed circRNAs were identified through R software. Results: 6 significantly up-regulated and 13 significantly down-regulated circRNAs were identified involved in the pathogenesis of IPF. The binding sites of miRNAs for each differentially expressed circRNA were also predicted and circRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks were constructed for the most up-regulated hsa_circ_0004099 and down-regulated hsa_circ_0029633. In addition, GO and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed the molecular function and enriched pathways of the target genes of circRNAs in IPF.Conclusion: These findings suggest that candidate circRNAs might serve an important role in the pathogenesis of IPF. Therefore, these circRNAs might be potential biomarkers for diagnosis and promising targets for treatment of IPF, which still need further verification in vivo and in vitro.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 483-492
Author(s):  
Hanwei Wu ◽  
Yuchen Liu ◽  
Hongfang Duan ◽  
Xiaoqin Fan ◽  
Yujie Wang ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are endogenous RNAs that have a covalent closed cycle configuration. circRNAs have been found to be differentially expressed in many human cancers. Therefore, circRNAs may be ideal biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. However, we know very little about the function of circRNAs in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the circRNA expression profiles in NPC. METHODS: We utilized high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) to evaluate the circRNA expression profile in NPC A total of 13,561 unique circRNA candidates were detected. Selection of aberrantly expressed circRNAs was carried out using a q-value of < 0.001 with a fold change of > 2.0 or < 0.5. We carried out Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses to identify the biological functions of differentially expressed circRNAs. Moreover, bioinformatics analyses were implemented to predict the effects between circRNAs and cancer-related microRNAs (miRNAs), and we used Cytoscape to build a cancer-related circRNA-miRNA target gene map. Finally, to verify dysregulated circRNAs, quantitative real-time PCR was utilized. RESULTS: In NPC tissues, we found that 73 circRNAs were downregulated and 59 were upregulated. The top 12 candidate circRNAs were selected from several vital NPC pathways such as the human papillomavirus and Epstein-Barr virus infection signaling pathways (hsa05165 and hsa05169, respectively), Hepatitis B (hsa05161), and the Ras signaling pathway (hsa04014). A network map of circRNA-miRNA interactions of 12 differentially expressed circRNAs was built. Hsa_circ_0007637 expression distinguished NPC tissues from paired healthy tissues and NPC cell lines (HNE1 6-10B, 5-8F, CNE-2, and so on) from a normal epithelial (NP460) cell line. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we investigated the profiles of differentially expressed circRNAs in NPC, and our results show that hsa_circ_0007637 may be a biomarker for NPC and play a role in its development. This observation-based research identified dysregulated circRNAs in NPC, which may assist in the development of biomarkers for this disease. Further studies on the mechanisms and functions of these circRNAs may promote our understanding of NPC tumorigenesis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Xiaocong Yao ◽  
Minbo Liu ◽  
Fang Jin ◽  
Zhongxin Zhu

Aim. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been found to contribute to the regulation of many diseases and are abundantly expressed in various organisms. The present study is aimed at systematically characterizing the circRNA expression profiles in patients with senile osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) and predicting the potential functions of the regulatory networks correlated with these differentially expressed circRNAs. Methods. The circRNA expression profile in patients with senile OVCF was explored by using RNA sequencing. The prediction of the enriched signaling pathways and circRNA-miRNA networks was conducted by bioinformatics analysis. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to validate the selected differentially expressed circRNAs from 20 patients with senile OVCF relative to 20 matched healthy controls. Results. A total of 884 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified, of which 554 were upregulated and 330 were downregulated. The top 15 signaling pathways associated with these differentially expressed circRNAs were predicted. The result of qRT-PCR of the selected circRNAs was consistent with RNA sequencing. Conclusions. CircRNAs are differentially expressed in patients with senile OVCF, which might contribute to the pathophysiological mechanism of senile osteoporosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiting Tian ◽  
Yang Xing ◽  
Zheng Zhang ◽  
Rui Peng ◽  
Luyu Zhang ◽  
...  

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies in the world, with morbidity and mortality ranking second among all cancers. Accumulating evidences indicate that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are closely correlated with tumorigenesis. However, the mechanisms of circRNAs still remain unclear. This study is aimed at determining hub genes and circRNAs and analyzing their potential biological functions in GC. Expression profiles of mRNAs and circRNAs were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data sets of GC and paracancer tissues. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed circRNAs (DE-circRNAs) were identified. The target miRNAs of DE-circRNAs and the bidirectional interaction between target miRNAs and DEGs were predicted. Functional analysis was performed, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network were established. A total of 456 DEGs and 2 DE-circRNAs were identified with 3 mRNA expression profiles and 2 circRNA expression profiles. GO analysis indicated that DEGs were mainly enriched in extracellular matrix and cell adhesion, and KEGG confirmed that DEGs were mainly associated with focal adhesion, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, extracellular matrix- (ECM)- receptor interaction, and gastric acid secretion. 15 hub DEGs (BGN, COL1A1, COL1A2, FBN1, FN1, SPARC, SPP1, TIMP1, UBE2C, CCNB1, CD44, CXCL8, COL3A1, COL5A2, and THBS1) were identified from the PPI network. Furthermore, the survival analysis indicate that GC patients with a high expression of the following 9 hub DEGs, namely, BGN, COL1A1, COL1A2, FBN1, FN1, SPARC, SPP1, TIMP1, and UBE2C, had significantly worse overall survival. The circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed based on 1 circRNA, 15 miRNAs, and 45 DEGs. In addition, the 45 DEGs included 5 hub DEGs. These results suggested that hub DEGs and circRNAs could be implicated in the pathogenesis and development of GC. Our findings provide novel evidence on the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network and lay the foundation for future research of circRNAs in GC.


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