MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression and thus characterization of miRNAs and investigation of the relative abundance and specificity of tissue expression are essential for understanding gene expression in the golden snub-nosed monkey (GSM, Rhinopithecus roxellanae). Here, we report the first dataset of GSM miRNAs where we identified 460 miRNAs in seven tissues, with 246 conserved known mature miRNAs and 214 novel mature miRNAs. We determined miRNA abundance and expression in the seven tissues using a Tissue Specificity Index score and found that most novel GSM miRNAs showed a highly tissue-specific expression pattern. In particular, 67 novel miRNAs and the miR-34 family were expressed in abundance only in the lung. Five known miRNAs were highly abundant in digestive organs such as the pancreas and liver, and four novel miRNAs were highly expressed in the heart and muscle. Annotation of target genes of GSM miRNAs indicated that target genes were enriched in many important pathways, such as the HIF-1 signaling pathway and xenobiotic biodegradation-related pathways. Collectively, these results emphasize that miRNAs play important roles in GSM diet and high-elevation adaptation regulation. In summary, this study provides essential information on GSM miRNAs and will benefit further investigations of the function and mechanism of miRNAs in controlling gene expression in the GSM.

MicroRNA（miRNA）是基因表达的转录后调控的关键，因此，miRNA的表征以及组织表达的相对丰度和特异性的研究对于了解金鼻猴（GSM，Rhinopithecus roxellanae）的基因表达至关重要）。在这里，我们报告了第一个GSM miRNA数据集，其中我们在7个组织中鉴定出460个miRNA，其中包括246个保守的已知成熟miRNA和214个新颖的成熟miRNA。我们使用组织特异性指数评分确定了七个组织中的miRNA丰度和表达，发现大多数新型GSM miRNA都显示出高度组织特异性的表达模式。特别是，仅在肺中大量表达了67种新颖的miRNA和miR-34家族。五种已知的miRNA在胰腺和肝脏等消化器官中高度丰富，而四种新颖的miRNA在心脏和肌肉中高表达。GSM miRNA靶基因的注释表明，靶基因在许多重要途径（例如HIF-1信号途径和异种生物降解相关途径）中富集。总的来说，这些结果强调，miRNA在GSM饮食和高海拔适应调节中起重要作用。总之，这项研究提供了有关GSM miRNA的基本信息，并将有助于进一步研究miRNA在GSM中控制基因表达的功能和机制。