Morphological changes and functional circRNAs screening of rabbit skeletal muscle development

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Genomics

Background:

• Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play crucial roles in skeletal muscle growth and function.
• Limited research exists on circRNA functions during rabbit skeletal muscle development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the temporal expression patterns of circRNAs in rabbit skeletal muscle across different developmental stages.
• To identify differentially expressed circRNAs (DE-circRNAs) and their potential functions in muscle development.

Main Methods:

• Paraffin sections of hind leg muscles from fetal, child, and adult rabbits were analyzed for structural changes.
• RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed to generate circRNA and gene expression profiles.
• Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was used to determine the functions of DE-circRNAs.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in skeletal muscle fiber characteristics were observed across developmental stages.
• 481 DE-circRNAs and 5,658 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified.
• DE-circRNAs were associated with muscle fiber structure, mitosis, enzyme activity, methylation, glycosylation, chromatin regulation, and catabolism.

Conclusions:

• This study provides a comprehensive catalog of circRNAs involved in New Zealand rabbit skeletal muscle development.
• The findings enhance our understanding of the functional transitions during mammalian muscle development.
• Specific circRNAs with potential coding or miRNA sponge capabilities were identified.