ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Genet.
Sec. Livestock Genomics
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fgene.2025.1620058
This article is part of the Research TopicGenomic Signatures of Artificial Selection in Production Animals: From Selective Sweeps to Favorable Phenotypes.View all 3 articles
Whole-Transcriptome Insights into Follicle Selection: Deciphering Key Regulatory Networks in Luxi Gamecock
Provisionally accepted
- Qilu Normal University, Jinan, China
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Background: Luxi gamecock is a native Chinese breed recognized for its substantial body size, well-developed musculature, and aggressive behavior. Despite these advantageous traits, the breed's egg production rate remains relatively low, insufficient to meet market demands. Follicle selection plays a crucial role in determining the egg-laying performance of hens, yet research on follicle selection in Luxi gamecock is limited. In this study, RNA sequencing was performed on small yellow follicles (SYFs) and large yellow follicles (LYFs) from Luxi gamecock to identify RNA transcript expression, and subsequent RNA networks were constructed. Methods: SYFs and LYFs were collected from 15 Luxi gamecocks and divided randomly into three biological groups. RNA was isolated to profile the expression of mRNA, lncRNA, circRNA, and miRNA. The results were validated using qRT-PCR. Functional analysis, including GO and KEGG, was conducted. Competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks were also constructed. Results: A total of 1,113 mRNAs, 245 lncRNAs, 264 circRNAs, and 90 miRNAs were differentially expressed between SYFs and LYFs. qRT-PCR validation showed high consistency with the RNA-seq results. Functional enrichment indicated that these differentially expressed RNAs are associated with critical biological processes and involved in several key signaling pathways. To investigate the potential interactions among circRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs, ceRNA networks were constructed. Conclusion: This study provides a detailed characterization of the transcriptomes in SYFs and LYFs of Luxi gamecock through RNA sequencing. The functional analysis revealed that many RNAs may contribute to follicle selection. Furthermore, ceRNA networks were built to better understand the molecular mechanisms behind follicle selection. These findings shed light on the potential regulatory roles of various RNA molecules in the follicle selection of Luxi gamecock, and also uncover the interactions among them, laying a foundation for improving the breed's egg-laying performance.
Keywords: Luxi gamecock, follicle selection, RNA-Seq, differential expression RNAs, ceRNA network
Received: 29 Apr 2025; Accepted: 18 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yiya Wang, Qilu Normal University, Jinan, China
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