Identification and characterization of circular RNAs in Longissimus dorsi muscle tissue from two goat breeds using RNA-Seq

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNA that play crucial roles in the growth and development of skeletal muscle. However, little is known about the role of circRNAs in caprine skeletal muscle. In this study, the size of muscle fiber and the expression profiles of circRNAs were compared in Longissimus dorsi muscle of Liaoning cashmere (LC) goats and Ziwuling black (ZB) goats with significant phenotypic differences in meat production performance, using hematoxylin and eosin staining and RNA-Seq, respectively. The size of muscle fiber in LC goats was larger than those in ZB goats (P < 0.05). A total of 10,875 circRNAs were identified and 214 of these were differentially expressed between the two caprine breeds. The parent genes of differentially expressed circRNAs were mainly enriched in connective tissue development, Rap1, cGMP-PKG, cAMP and Ras signaling pathway. In conclusion, circRNAs may play important roles in skeletal mass, meat production performance and meat quality traits in goats. The results provide an improved understanding of the functions of circRNAs in skeletal muscle development of goats.