Identification and characterization of long non-coding RNA in prenatal and postnatal skeletal muscle of sheep.

lncRNAs are a class of transcriptional RNA molecules of >200 nucleotides in length. However, the overall expression pattern and function of lncRNAs in sheep muscle is not clear. Here, we identified 1566 lncRNAs and 404 differentially expressed lncRNAs in sheep muscle from prenatal (110 days of fetus) and postnatal (2 to 3 years old of adult sheep) developmental stages by using RNA-seq technology. Several lncRNAs were identified by using RT-PCR and DNA sequencing. The expression levels of several lncRNAs were confirmed by qRT-PCR. We analyzed the effect of lncRNAs that act cis to the target genes. lncRNA targeting genes were involved in signaling pathways associated with growth and development of muscle by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis. Through our study, we provide a comprehensive expression profile of muscle lncRNAs in sheep, which provides valuable resources for further understanding genetic regulation of muscle growth and development from the perspective of lncRNA.

The effect of alfalfa cultivation on improving physicochemical properties soil microorganisms community structure of grey desert soil.

Planting alfalfa in grey desert soil can have significant effects on soil nutrient levels, microbial communities, and overall soil improvement. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to explore the relationship between the rhizosphere microbial community structure of grey desert soil planted with different alfalfa varieties (Aohan, WL525HQ, Knight2, Kangsai, Victoria, and WL712), alfalfa characteristics and rhizosphere soil physicochemical properties. Alfalfa planting increased the nitrogen and organic matter in the grey desert soil, and the effects in Victoria, Kangsai, and Aohan were relatively better than those in the unplanted areas and other alfalfa areas. The Chao1 and Shannon indexes showed that the diversity and relative abundance of bacteria and fungi in Kangsai were significantly higher than those in the unplanted areas and other alfalfa areas. Redundancy analysis showed that available nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as fresh weight, significantly affected the changes in fungal and bacterial communities. Variance partitioning analysis showed that soil and alfalfa growth characteristics explained 50.04% and 51.58% of the structural changes in the bacteria and fungi, respectively. Therefore, planting alfalfa changed the community structure of bacteria and fungi, as well as the content of soil nutrients, and different varieties of alfalfa had different effects on soil improvement.

Differentially expressed genes related to plant height and yield in two alfalfa cultivars based on RNA-seq.

Background: Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a kind of forage with high relative feeding value in farming and livestock breeding, and is of great significance to the development of animal husbandry. The growth of the aboveground part of alfalfa is an important factor that limits crop yield. Clarifying the molecular mechanisms that maintain vigorous growth in alfalfa may contribute to the development of molecular breeding for this crop. Methods: Here, we evaluated the growth phenotypes of five cultivars of alfalfa (WL 712, WL 525HQ, Victoria, Knight 2, and Aohan). Then RNA-seq was performed on the stems of WL 712, chosen as a fast growing cultivar, and Aohan, chosen as a slow growing cultivar. GO enrichment analysis was conducted on all differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Result: Among the differentially expressed genes that were up-regulated in the fast growing cultivar, GO analysis revealed enrichment in the following seven categories: formation of water-conducting tissue in vascular plants, biosynthesis and degradation of lignin, formation of the primary or secondary cell wall, cell enlargement and plant growth, cell division and shoot initiation, stem growth and induced germination, and cell elongation. KEGG analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were annotated as being involved in plant hormone signal transduction, photosynthesis, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. KEGG analysis also showed that up-regulated in the fast growing cultivar were members of the WRKY family of transcription factors related to plant growth and development, members of the NAC and MYB gene families related to the synthesis of cellulose and hemicellulose, and the development of secondary cell wall fibres, and finally, MYB family members that are involved in plant growth regulation. Our research results not only enrich the transcriptome database of alfalfa, but also provide valuable information for explaining the molecular mechanism of fast growth, and can provide reference for the production of alfalfa.