Dynamic transcriptome analysis of Maiwa yak corpus luteum during the estrous cycle

Abstract

Maiwa yak is a special breed of animal living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which has great economic value, but its fertility rate is low. The corpus luteum (CL) is a temporary tissue that plays a crucial role in maintaining the physiological cycle. However, little is known about the transcriptome profile in Maiwa yak CL. In the present study, the transcriptome of Maiwa yak CL at early (EYCL), middle (MYCL) and late-stages (LYCL) was studied employing high-throughput sequencing. A total of 25,922 transcripts were identified, including 22,277 known as well as 3,645 novel ones. Furthermore, 690 and 212 differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs were detected in the EYCL vs. MYCL and MYCL vs. LYCL groups, respectively. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of DEGs illustrated that the most enriched pathway was PI3K-Akt pathway. Furthermore, twenty-six DEGs were totally found to be associated with different biological processes of CL development. One of these genes, PGRMC1, displayed a dynamical expression trend during the lifespan of yak CL. The knockdown of PGRMC1 in luteinized yak granulosa cells resulted in defective steroidogenesis. In conclusion, this study analyzed the transcriptome profiles in yak CL of different stages, and provided a novel database for analyzing the gene network in yak CL.

HIGHLIGHTS

1. The manuscript analyzed the transcriptome profiles in yak CL during the estrous cycle.

2. Twenty-six DEGs were found to be associated with the development or function of CL.

3. One of the DEGs, PGRMC1, was found to be responsible for steroidogenesis in luteinized yak granulosa cells.

Keywords:

• Transcriptome analysis
• Maiwa Yak
• corpus luteum
• high-throughput sequencing
• PGRMC1

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The raw data have been deposited in the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRA) database with the accession number SRR19149626-SRR19149634.

Additional information

Funding

The project was supported by Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province [2022NSFSC1709] and the Innovative Research Project Funds for Graduate Students, Southwest Minzu University [YB2022817].