CircRNAs are a class of endogenous noncoding RNA molecules with closed loop structures. They are mainly responsible for regulating gene expression in eukaryotic cells. With the emergence of high‐throughput RNA sequencing (RNA‐Seq) and new types of bioinformatics tools, thousands of circRNAs have been discovered, making circRNA one of the research hotspots. Recent studies have shown that circRNAs play an important regulatory role in the growth, reproduction, and formation of livestock products. They can not only regulate mammalian fetal growth and development but also have important regulatory effects on livestock muscle development and lactation. In this review, we briefly introduce the putative biogenic pathways and regulatory functions of circRNA and highlight our understanding of circRNA and its latest advances in fetal development, muscle development, and lactation biogenesis as well as expression in livestock. This review will provide a theoretical basis for the research and development of related industries.
9 April 2024 in Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Long‐term artificial selection and environmental shifts have driven adaptive changes in both the host genome and the intestinal microbiota. The complex symbiotic relationship between these two has become essential for maintaining intestinal homeostasis and overall health. Concurrently, advancements in sequencing technology and the functional annotation of noncoding RNAs, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), have facilitated the exploration of mechanisms regulating intestinal homeostasis. Herein, we systematically update the role of miRNA–microbiota interactions in regulating the intestinal barrier, intestinal immunity, changes in intestinal microbiota dynamics, and maintenance of intestinal homeostasis, and we further critically discuss the role of miRNA–microbiota interactions in the maintenance of host intestinal health, metabolic regularity, brain function, and neurodegenerative disease‐related disorders. Finally, we highlight the prospects and therapeutic strategies regarding miRNA–microbiota interactions in humans and animals in the context of intestinal microbiota and gene function studies. This study provides a comprehensive overview of miRNA–microbiota interactions and their influence on intestinal homeostasis and host health and offers novel therapeutic strategies for future personalized prevention and treatment of intestinal diseases.
Maternal high-fat diet can affect intrauterine fetal development by regulating body metabolism. Meanwhile, differentially expressed circRNAs in the placenta during a high-fat diet regulate placental nutrient transport and fetal development in multiple ways.
Pork is an important high-value protein source that fulfills the nutritional requirements for normal growth development, repair, and metabolism. Tryptophan (Trp), a crucial amino acid for piglet growth performance and muscle development, has an essential yet unclear regulatory mechanism. To investigate the biological basis of Trp regulation of piglet muscle development and identify the related regulatory pathways, we studied 20 weaned piglets. The piglets were divided into control (CON, 0.14% Trp) and high Trp (HT, 0.35% Trp) groups. They were fed with different Trp concentrations for 28 d, after which we collected the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle for histomorphometric analysis and RNA extraction. Our results showed that the HT diet significantly increased the average daily weight gain, myocyte number, and muscle fiber density in weaned piglets. We then analyzed the differentially expressed (DE) genes in the LD muscle through RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). We identified 253 lncRNAs and 1,055 mRNAs mainly involved in myoblast proliferation and myofiber formation, particularly through the FoxO and AMPK signaling pathways and metabolism. Further analysis of the DE lncRNA targeting relationship and construction of a protein–protein interaction network resulted in the discovery of a novel lncRNA, XLOC_021675, or FRPMD, and elucidated its role in regulating piglet muscle development. Finally, we confirmed the RNA-seq results by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This study provides valuable insights into the regulatory mechanism of lncRNA-mediated Trp regulation of muscle development in weaned piglets offering a theoretical basis for optimizing piglet dietary ratios and enhancing pork production. Tryptophan (Trp) is one of the key amino acids for pig growth and muscle development. We have verified the crucial role of Trp in enhancing daily weight gain and promoting muscle development in weaned piglets. We also identified the significant influence of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) as regulators of piglet muscle development through transcriptome analysis of the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle of weaned piglets. Functional analysis of differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and mRNAs in the LD muscle of piglets yielded a functional enrichment network of mRNAs co-expressed and co-localized with DE lncRNAs. To gain insights into the regulatory mechanisms of DE lncRNAs in transcription and translation, we established targeting relationships and protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks for DE lncRNAs. We identified a novel lncRNA (XLOC_021675) with a significant role in piglet muscle development named FRPMD. This study is a valuable reference for optimizing piglet diets and provides a solid foundation for further research on piglet muscle development.