Transcriptome analysis reveals pituitary lncRNA, circRNA and mRNA affecting fertility in high- and low-yielding goats

Abstract

The pituitary gland serves as the central endocrine regulator of growth, reproduction, and metabolism and plays a crucial role in the reproductive process of female animals. Transcriptome analysis was conducted using pituitary gland samples from Leizhou goats with varying levels of fecundity to investigate the effects of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), circular RNA (circRNA), and mRNA regulation on pituitary hormone secretion and its association with goat fecundity. The analysis aimed to identify lncRNAs, circRNAs, and mRNAs that influence the fertility of Leizhou goats. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed on differentially expressed lncRNAs, circRNAs, and mRNAs and revealed considerable enrichment in pathways, such as regulation of hormone secretion, germ cell development, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion. The pituitary lncRNAs (ENSCHIT00000010293, ENSCHIT00000010304, ENSCHIT00000010306, ENSCHIT00000010290, ENSCHIT00000010298, ENSCHIT00000006769, ENSCHIT00000006767, ENSCHIT00000006921, and ENSCHIT00000001330) and circRNAs (chicirc_029285, chicirc_026618, chicirc_129655, chicirc_018248, chicirc_122554, chicirc_087101, and chicirc_078945) identified as differentially expressed regulated hormone secretion in the pituitary through their respective host genes. Additionally, differential mRNAs (GABBR2, SYCP1, HNF4A, CBLN1, and CDKN1A) influenced goat fecundity by affecting hormone secretion in the pituitary gland. These findings contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying pituitary regulation of fecundity in Leizhou goats.

Population Structure and Selection Signal Analysis of Nanyang Cattle Based on Whole-Genome Sequencing Data

“…The Estrogen signaling pathway includes seven genes ( EGFR , NCOA2 , MAP2K2 , PGR , GABBR2 , TGFA , and NCOA3 ). NCOA2 [ 19 ], MAP2K2 [ 20 ], PGR [ 21 ], and GABBR2 [ 22 ] are associated with reproduction, while TGFA [ 23 ] and NCOA3 [ 24 ] are linked to immunity. The ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis pathway comprises seven genes ( UBE4B , FBXW11 , ITCH , UBE2D1 , FBXO2 , PIAS4 , and TRIP12 ); TRIP12 [ 25 ] is related to embryonic development, and FBXW11 [ 26 ], UBE2D1 [ 27 ], UBE4B [ 28 ], FBXO2 [ 29 ], and PIAS4 [ 30 ] are associated with immunity.…”