MicroRNA expression profiling reveals potential roles for miRNAs in the liver during pigeon (Columba livia) development

Abstract The liver is the central organ for metabolism and influence the growth and development of the animals. To date, little is known about the microRNA (miRNA) in pigeon livers, particularly in different developmental stages. A comprehensive investigation into miRNA transcriptomes in livers across three pigeon developmental stages (1, 14, 28 days old) and an adult stage (2 years old) was performed by small RNA sequencing. We identified 312 known miRNAs, 433 conserved miRNAs, and 192 novel miRNAs in pigeon livers. A set of differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs in livers were screened out during pigeon development. This set of miRNAs might be involved in hepatospecific phenotype and liver development. A short time-series expression miner(STEM) analysis indicated significant expression variations in DE miRNAs during liver development of pigeons. These DE miRNAs with different expression patterns might play essential roles in response to growth factor, cell morphogenesis, and gland development, etc. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and Molecular Complex Detection (MCODE) analysis identified several vital target genes (e.g., TNRC6B, FRS2, PTCH1, etc.) of DE miRNAs, which is closely linked in liver development and enriched in PI3K cascade and regulation of growth. Our results expanded the repertoire of pigeon miRNAs and may be of help in better understanding the mechanism of squab’s rapid development from the perspective of liver development.