Comparison of miRNA and mRNA Expression in Sika Deer Testes With Age

Abstract

To elucidate the complex physiological process of testis development and spermatogenesis in Sika deer, this study evaluated the changes of miRNA and mRNA profiles in the four developmental stages of testis in the juvenile (1-year-old), adolescence (3-year-old), adult (5-year-old), and aged (10-year-old) stages. The results showed that a total of 198 mature, 66 novel miRNAs, and 23,558 differentially expressed (DE) unigenes were obtained; 14,918 (8,413 up and 6,505 down), 4,988 (2,453 up and 2,535 down), and 5,681 (2,929 up and 2,752 down) DE unigenes, as well as 88 (43 up and 45 down), 102 (44 up and 58 down), and 54 (18 up and 36 down) DE miRNAs were identified in 3- vs. 1-, 5- vs. 3-, and 10- vs. 5-year-old testes, respectively. By integrating miRNA and mRNA expression profiles, we predicted 10,790 mRNA–mRNA and 69,883 miRNA–mRNA interaction sites. The target genes were enriched by GO and KEGG pathways to obtain DE mRNA (IGF1R, ALKBH5, Piwil, HIF1A, BRDT, etc.) and DE miRNA (miR-140, miR-145, miR-7, miR-26a, etc.), which play an important role in testis development and spermatogenesis. The data show that DE miRNAs could regulate testis developmental and spermatogenesis through signaling pathways, including the MAPK signaling pathway, p53 signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Hippo signaling pathway, etc. miR-140 was confirmed to directly target mutant IGF1R-3′UTR by the Luciferase reporter assays. This study provides a useful resource for future studies on the role of miRNA regulation in testis development and spermatogenesis.

Transcriptome sequencing reveals differences between leydig cells and sertoli cells of yak

“…Sequencing technology has widely been used in animals to mine potential regulatory molecules. The ncRNAs in testis, which have been identified and functionally verified, suggest that they are involved in testicular development and sperm regulation ( 17 – 19 , 33 ). In this study, we constructed a linear RNA library and miRNA library.…”

“…Although a large number of lncRNAs and miRNAs have been identified and demonstrated to be involved in mammalian testicular function regulation (17)(18)(19), there are few studies on the expression of ncRNAs in different cells of the testis, especially on their regulatory mechanisms. It is valuable to study which non-coding genes maintain the normal physiological function of the testis by targeting LCs and SCs.…”

The combination of SMRT sequencing and Illumina sequencing highlights organ-specific and age-specific expression patterns of miRNAs in Sika Deer

“…MiRNAs play an important role in gene regulation in animals. However, researchers only focused on the miRNA expression of antler, muscle and testis of Sika Deer ( 10 – 12 ). But the miRNA study of the single organ cannot fully understand the panorama of its regulation of Cervidae growth and development.…”

“…It plays a crucial role in gene expression, cell development, immune regulation, tumorigenesis and other life processes ( 9 ). Currently, the research on miRNAome of Sika Deer mainly focused on the rapid growth and regeneration of antler, the growth of muscle, the testis development and spermatogenesis ( 10 – 12 ). It lacks the analysis of miRNA expression profiles of different organs and development stages of Sika Deer.…”

Association between Sperm Morphology and Altered Sperm microRNA Expression

“…Similarly, alterations in miRNA expression, associated with decreased fertility in males, have been determined in sperm and seminal plasma from patients using prescription drugs and illegal substances, including verapamil [ 11 ] and heroin [ 12 ], respectively. In addition, a study by Jia et al on animal models discovered miRNAs the expression profiles of which differed in relation to the age of the animals [ 13 ], which suggested that such interrelations could also apply in humans. Generally, these studies imply that miRNA dysregulation plays a notable role in male infertility; nevertheless, the impaired miRNA regulatory functions affecting spermatogenesis, spermatozoa motility and morphology remain poorly understood.…”