Integrated analysis of microRNA and mRNA interactions regulating fecundity in the ovaries of two distinct sheep breeds.

ABSTRACT: Sheep production is vital to the global agricultural economy, particularly for meat and wool. However, fertility varies significantly among breeds, influenced by genetics, nutrition, and environment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, binding to target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) to inhibit translation or trigger degradation. Despite their importance, little is known about ovary-specific miRNAs and their target genes in high and low fecundity sheep breeds. Here, we investigated miRNA expression profiles in ovarian tissues from Small Tail Han (high fecundity) and Dolang sheep (low fecundity) using miRNA sequencing. The analysis identified 51 significantly differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs), with only nine mapping to the reference genome (in

SUBMITTER: Yousuf S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12312324 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature