Expression of microRNAs in the hypothalamus of pregnant and non-pregnant goats

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a significant role in animal reproduction by regulating the expression of protein-coding genes. The hypothalamus regulates the pregnancy cycle changes in goats; however, the action mechanism of miRNAs in this regulation remains to be investigated. In this study, we performed RNA sequencing of hypothalamus samples to establish a comprehensive miRNA profiling of pregnant and non-pregnant goats. A total of 384 miRNAs were identified in the hypothalamus of pregnant goats, of which 239 were newly discovered, and 390 miRNAs were detected in the hypothalamus of non-pregnant goats of which 192 were novel miRNAs. In addition, a total of 280 differentially expressed miRNAs are characterized, of which 171 were known miRNAs and 109 were novel miRNAs. Functional enrichment suggests that the predicted target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs may be involved in the reproductive process. This preliminary study revealed that let-7f-5p, miR-99a-5p and miR-100-5p may be involved in the hypothalamic regulation of pregnancy cycle changes in goats. These data provide a basic reference for subsequent studies on the regulatory role of miRNAs in mammalian pregnancy.