Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Blood is an essential component of the immune system. As post-transcriptional regulators, miRNAs, abundant in blood, are necessary aspects in blood's immune and physiological functions. However, there is limited knowledge about the expression and function of miRNAs in the blood of giant pandas. METHODS: We comparatively analyzed miRNA expression profiles in the blood of giant pandas of different ages using small-RNA sequencing technology. RESULTS: We identified 393 known miRNAs, 219 conserved miRNAs, and 71 novel miRNAs in the blood of giant pandas, and functional enrichment analysis showed that the genes regulated by DE (differentially expressed) miRNAs were mainly enriched in the regulation of enzyme-linked receptor protein signaling pathways and the signaling pathways of MAPK, Hippo, and FoXO. CONCLUSIONS: Our study clarified giant pandas' blood miRNA expression profiles at different developmental stages, which will help elucidate the blood immunity and regulation of blood cell physiological functions in giant pandas.