An integrated analysis of testis miRNA and mRNA transcriptome reveals important functional miRNA-targets in reproduction traits of roosters

The reproductive efficiency of roosters is an important trait in poultry production; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying this trait are not clearly understood. Here, we compared the mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) transcriptomes of testis from roosters with divergent sperm motility. A total of 302 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 182 upregulated genes and 120 downregulated genes, were identified in high sperm motility groups compared with low sperm motility groups. A subset of these DEGs related to steroid hormone biosynthesis and thus could be important for spermatogenesis. Additionally, we detected 13 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) between two groups, and target gene prediction indicated seven of these could be associated with spermatogenesis. Based on a comprehensive analysis of these transcriptomes, miRNA-mRNA interaction networks were constructed. Six DEGs were predicted to be regulated by DEMs. Subsequently, we validated the negative regulation of family with sequence similarity 84, member A (FAM84A) by miR-215 using a dual-luciferase reporter system. These results provide new insights into the molecular profile of the testis and identify genes that may determine sperm motility in chickens.

Genetic traits of avascular necrosis of the femoral head analyzed by array comparative genomic hybridization and real-time polymerase chain reaction

In an attempt to observe the genetic traits of avascular necrosis of the femoral head, we analyzed the genomic alterations in blood samples of 18 patients with avascular necrosis of the femoral head (9 idiopathic and 9 alcoholic cases) using the array comparative genomic hybridization method and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Several candidate genes were identified that may induce avascular necrosis of the femoral head, and we investigated their role in the pathomechanism of osteonecrosis of bone. The frequency of each candidate gene over all the categories of avascular necrosis of the femoral head was also calculated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The highest frequency specific genes in each category were FLJ40296, CYP27C1, and CTDP1. FLJ40296 and CYP27C1 had the highest frequency (55.6%) in the idiopathic category. FLJ40296 had a high frequency (44.4%) in the alcoholic category, but CYP27C1 had a relatively low frequency (33.3%) in the alcoholic category. However, CTDP1 showed a significantly high frequency (55.6%) in the alcoholic category and a low frequency (22.2%) in the idiopathic category. Although we statistically analyzed the frequency of each gene with Fisher's exact test, we could not prove statistical significance due to the small number of samples. Further studies are needed with larger sample numbers. If the causal genes of avascular necrosis of the femoral head are found, they may be used for early detection, prognosis prediction, and genomic treatment of avascular necrosis of the femoral head in the future.