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A Quantitative Detection Method for MicroRNAs in the Kidney of an Ischemic Kidney Injury Mouse Model
Published on: September 11, 2020
MicroRNA transcriptome analysis in chicken kidneys in response to differing virulent infectious bronchitis virus
Xin Yang1, Wenqian Gao1, Hui Liu1
1School of Life Science, Sichuan University, Animal Disease Prevention and Food Safety Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Key Laboratory of Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China.
Abstract:
Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) can cause a highly contagious and acute respiratory disease in poultry. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as a class of crucial regulators for gene expression and are involved in the regulation of virus defence and immunological processes. To understand miRNA regulation in chickens in response to IBV infection, high-throughput sequencing was performed to compare the small RNA libraries from the kidneys of chicken infected with SCK2, SCDY2 and LDT3-A. By comparing these data to healthy chickens, a total of 58 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were identified. The DE miRNAs were further classified into five miRNA expression patterns (up or down regulation compared to control). Using Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment prediction, the DE miRNAs were shown to be mostly associated with metabolic processes, catalytic activities, gene expression, binding activities and immune responses. Seven highly expressed miRNAs (gga-miR-30d, gga-miR-1454, gga-miR-7b, gga-miR-215-5p, gga-miR-1a-3p, gga-miR-3538 and gga-miR-2954) were selected for miRNA-mRNA conjoint analysis. Furthermore, the miRNAs inversely correlated with the corresponding target gene mRNAs. These seven miRNAs were considered to play an important role in IBV-host interactions and the differing virulence of IBV strains. This is the first demonstration that infection with different virulent IBVs elicits different expression of miRNAs in chicken kidneys; this expression also seems to be associated with the virulence of IBV. These results are significant for the study of immune responses to infection with different virulent IBVs mediated by miRNAs as well as the interaction between the chicken host and IBV.
Insights
This study reveals that different infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains cause distinct microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns in chicken kidneys, impacting immune responses and host-virus interactions.
Area of Science:
- Poultry immunology
- Virology
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) causes acute respiratory disease in poultry.
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression, including immune responses and virus defense.
- Understanding miRNA roles in chickens during IBV infection is crucial for disease management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differential microRNA expression in chicken kidneys following infection with distinct IBV strains.
- To identify specific miRNAs involved in the host response to varying IBV virulence.
Main Methods:
- High-throughput sequencing of small RNA libraries from chicken kidneys infected with SCK2, SCDY2, and LDT3-A IBV strains.
- Comparison of miRNA expression profiles between infected and healthy chickens.
- Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and miRNA-mRNA conjoint analysis.
Main Results:
- 58 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in response to IBV infection.
- DE miRNAs were associated with metabolic processes, catalytic activity, gene expression, binding, and immune responses.
- Seven highly expressed miRNAs showed inverse correlation with target mRNAs, suggesting a role in IBV-host interactions and virulence.
Conclusions:
- This is the first study demonstrating that different virulent IBV strains induce unique miRNA expression profiles in chicken kidneys.
- The observed miRNA expression patterns are linked to IBV virulence.
- These findings provide insights into miRNA-mediated immune responses and chicken-IBV interactions.

