MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate adipose tissue development, which are closely related to subcutaneous and intramuscular fat deposition and adipocyte differentiation. As an important economic and agricultural animal, rabbits have low adipose tissue deposition and are an ideal model to study adipose regulation. However, the miRNAs related to fat deposition during the growth and development of rabbits are poorly defined. In this study, miRNA-sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were used to profile the miRNAs in rabbit perirenal adipose tissue at 35, 85 and 120 days post-birth. Differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs between different stages were identified by DEseq in R. Target genes of DE miRNAs were predicted by TargetScan and miRanda. To explore the functions of identified miRNAs, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed. Approximately 1.6 GB of data was obtained by miRNA-seq. A total of 987 miRNAs (780 known and 207 newly predicted) and 174 DE miRNAs were identified. The miRNAs ranged from 18 nt to 26 nt. GO enrichment and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that the target genes of the DE miRNAs were mainly involved in zinc ion binding, regulation of cell growth, MAPK signaling pathway, and other adipose hypertrophy-related pathways. Six DE miRNAs were randomly selected, and their expression profiles were validated by q-PCR. This is the first report of the miRNA profiles of adipose tissue during different growth stages of rabbits. Our data provide a theoretical reference for subsequent studies on rabbit genetics, breeding and the regulatory mechanisms of adipose development.

中文翻译：

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兔生长过程中肾周脂肪组织中表达的MicroRNA的筛选与鉴定

MicroRNA（miRNA）调节脂肪组织的发育，这与皮下和肌内脂肪沉积以及脂肪细胞的分化密切相关。兔子作为重要的经济和农业动物，脂肪组织沉积少，是研究脂肪调控的理想模型。但是，与兔子生长发育过程中脂肪沉积有关的miRNA定义不清。在这项研究中，使用miRNA测序和生物信息学分析来分析出生后35、85和120天兔肾周脂肪组织中的miRNA。通过DEseq在R中鉴定出不同阶段之间的差异表达（DE）miRNA。通过TargetScan和miRanda预测DE miRNA的靶基因。要探索已鉴定的miRNA的功能，进行了基因本体论（GO）富集和《京都议定书》的基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）途径分析。通过miRNA-seq获得约1.6 GB的数据。总共鉴定了987个miRNA（已知780个，新预测了207个）和174个DE miRNA。miRNA的范围从18 nt到26 nt。GO富集和KEGG通路分析表明，DE miRNA的靶基因主要参与锌离子结合，细胞生长调节，MAPK信号通路和其他与脂肪肥大相关的通路。随机选择六个DE miRNA，并通过q-PCR验证其表达谱。这是兔子不同生长阶段脂肪组织miRNA谱的首次报道。我们的数据为以后的兔遗传学研究提供了理论参考，