circTAF8 Regulates Myoblast Development and Associated Carcass Traits in Chicken

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play important roles in skeletal muscle development. CircRNA biogenesis is dependent on the genetic context. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the introns flanking circRNAs may be intermediate-inducible factors between circRNA expression and phenotypic traits. Our previous study showed that circTAF8 is an abundantly and differentially expressed circRNA in leg muscle during chicken embryonic development. Here, we aimed to investigate circTAF8 function in muscle development and the association of the SNPs in the circTAF8 flanking introns with carcass traits. In this study, we observed that overexpression of circTAF8 could promote the proliferation of chicken primary myoblasts and inhibit their differentiation. In addition, the SNPs in the introns flanking the circTAF8 locus and those associated with chicken carcass traits were analyzed in 335 partridge chickens. A total of eight SNPs were found associated with carcass traits such as leg muscle weight, live weight, and half and full-bore weight. The association analysis results of haplotype combinations were consistent with the association analysis of a single SNP. These results suggest that circTAF8 plays a regulatory role in muscle development. These identified SNPs were found correlated with traits to muscle development and carcass muscle weight in chickens.

Polymorphisms of CRELD1 and DNAJC30 and their relationship with chicken carcass traits

“…Promoting muscle development and reducing fat deposition are the top priority in chicken breeding ( Guo et al, 2019 ). Therefore, many studies have been devoted to exploring the potential candidate genes, regulatory network, and molecular mechanism to improve chicken carcass traits ( Li et al, 2015 ; Allais et al, 2019 ; Fu et al, 2020 ; Zhang et al, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2021 ; Li et al, 2022 ; Yang et al, 2022 ). However, it still needs further research to unravel the underlying mechanisms of chicken carcass traits.…”

“…Carcass traits are one kind of quantitative trait and they can't be measured without slaughter, which becomes a major challenge to the further development of the poultry industry ( Uemoto et al, 2009 ). Skeletal muscle development and fat deposition have a significant impact on poultry carcass traits ( Zerehdaran et al, 2004 ; Lotfi et al, 2011 ; Li et al, 2021 ).…”

Transcriptome Sequencing Analysis of circRNA in Skeletal Muscle between Fast- and Slow-Growing Chickens at Embryonic Stages

“…CircRNAs have been extensively studied in recent years, and their function in chicken skeletal muscle growth has also been gradually revealed. Li et al [ 25 ] observed that overexpression of circTAF8 could promote the proliferation of chicken primary myoblasts and inhibit their differentiation. In addition, a total of eight SNPs in the introns flanking the circTAF8 locus were associated with carcass traits such as leg muscle weight, live weight, and half- and full-bore weight.…”

Regulation of Non-Coding RNA in the Growth and Development of Skeletal Muscle in Domestic Chickens

“…Chicken circRNAs have shorter transcripts and similar GC content to mRNAs and LncRNAs [ 105 ], and CircRNA levels are generally lower than the corresponding host genes [ 106 ]. However, some circRNAs are expressed significantly higher than linear transcripts in some unique cell lines or tissues [ 107 ]. Numerous studies have demonstrated that circRNAs are abundant in skeletal muscle and are involved in myogenesis.…”

“…The SNPs in the introns on both sides of the Circ-TAF8 gene were also analyzed for their connection with chicken carcass features in 335 partridge chickens. Eight SNPs were related to carcass traits (leg muscle weight, live weight, half-bore weight, and full-bore weight), all of which had short complementary sequences, implying that polymorphisms at these SNP loci may affect the Circ-TAF8 production [ 107 ].…”