Cited by 10Animal Diversity and Health StudiesGenetic and phenotypic traits in livestockMicroRNA in disease regulation

An Integrated Analysis of Lactation-Related miRNA and mRNA Expression Profiles in Donkey Mammary Glands

Open access
Fei, Yaqi, Gai, Yedan, Liao, Qingchao, Zhang, Linxi, Li, Zheng, Li, Bojiang, Bai, Man, Li, Na +1 more·2022·Genes

Abstract

Donkey milk is consumed by humans for its nutritional and therapeutic properties. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) have been implicated in the regulation of milk component synthesis and mammary gland development. However, the regulatory profile of the miRNAs and mRNAs involved in lactation in donkeys is unclear. We performed mRNA-seq and miRNA-seq and constructed coexpression regulatory networks for the mammary glands during the lactating and nonlactating period of jennies. We identified 3144 differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs (987 upregulated mRNAs and 2157 downregulated mRNAs) and 293 DE miRNAs (231 upregulated miRNAs and 62 downregulated miRNAs) in the lactating group compared to the nonlactating group. The DE miRNA target mRNA were significantly associated with pathways related to RNA polymerase, glycosphingolipid biosynthesis, mRNA surveillance, ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes, glycerophospholipid metabolism, Ras signaling, and the fly hippo signaling pathway. The mRNA-miRNA coregulation analysis showed that novel-m0032-3p, miR-195, miR-26-5p, miR-23-3p, miR-674-3p, and miR-874-3p are key miRNAs that target mRNAs involved in immunity and milk lipid, protein, and vitamin metabolism in the jenny mammary gland. Our results improve the current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms regulating bioactive milk component metabolism in the mammary glands and could be used to improve milk production in donkeys.

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Crossref · 10.3390/genes13091637

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  • The change of stress response mediated by miR-23 can be inherited and intervened by methyl modulator during lactation.

    “the change of stress response mediated by miR-23 can be inherited and intervened by methyl modulator during lactation.”

    From Recent advances of miR-23 in human diseases and growth development (2025) · cites this paper as [127]

    The Results (§3.6) identify miR-23-3p as a potential regulator in lactating donkey mammary glands, and the Discussion (§4) links miR-23 to milk-lipid synthesis. Neither passage supports a miR-23-mediated change in stress response, inheritance of that change, or intervention with a methyl modulator. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • miR-23-3p can affect milk composition synthesis and mammary gland development by targeting donkey mammary gland immunity and milk lipid, protein, and vitamin metabolism.

    “miR-23–3p can affect milk composition synthesis and mammary gland development, which is achieved by targeting donkey mammary gland immunity and milk lipid, protein, and vitamin metabolism [126,127].”

    From Recent advances of miR-23 in human diseases and growth development (2025) · cites this paper as [127]

    Results §3.6 identifies miR-23-3p as a key miRNA with four potential target mRNAs in a network associated with immunity and milk lipid, protein, and vitamin metabolism. The Discussion identifies TWF1 as a predicted target relevant to milk synthesis, but the paper does not establish that miR-23-3p affects mammary gland development or acts through all the listed processes; those links remain predictions or concern the network as a whole. Page numbers are unavailable in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • In rats with a fetal malnutrition model, expression of miR-23 was down-regulated in low birth weight rats, but the expression could be retrieved by methyl modulator after lactation.

    “In the rats with the fetal malnutrition model, it has been confirmed that the expression of miR-23 was down-regulated in the rats with low birth weight, but the expression could be retrieved by methyl modulator after lactation.”

    From Recent advances of miR-23 in human diseases and growth development (2025) · cites this paper as [127]

    The Discussion discusses miR-23 in donkey and goat mammary-gland biology, and Results §3.3 compares miRNA expression in lactating and nonlactating donkeys; neither addresses low-birth-weight rats. Searches for fetal malnutrition, miR-23 restoration, and methyl modulators found no passage supporting the claimed rat finding. The supplied copy gives no page numbers for these sections. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Fei, Y., Gai, Y., Liao, Q., Zhang, L., Li, Z., Li, B., Bai, M., Li, N., & Deng, L.
Affiliations
Shenyang Agricultural University (CN)
Corresponding author
Deng, Liang
Venue
Genes
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2022-09-12
Volume
13
Issue
9
Pages
1637
ISSN
2073-4425 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4295537363
Cited by
10
References
67
Citations by year
2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2
FWCI
1.33
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Genes (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Foundation from the Department of Education of Liaoning Province, China (LSNFW201904)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Food Science › Animal Diversity and Health Studies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › MicroRNA in disease regulation
Keywords
donkeys, lactation, mammary gland, microRNA, mRNA expression, differentially expressed genes, miRNA target genes, jennies, Hippo signaling pathway, Ras signaling, glycosphingolipid biosynthesis, ribosome biogenesis, mRNA surveillance, glycerophospholipid metabolism, miR-195, miR-874-3p
MeSH terms
Animals, Female, Glycosphingolipids, Humans, Lactation, Lipids, RNA, Messenger, Vitamins, Equidae, Glycerophospholipids, MicroRNAs

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