Abstract
A transcriptome sequencing analysis on ovarian tissues of Wanxi white geese (WWG) at different laying periods (pre-laying, laying, and eased) explored the effects of lncRNA, miRNA, and mRNA on the follicular development and egg production performance of WWG. The purpose was to explore the molecular mechanism in ovarian tissue at different laying periods on the regulation of the laying performance of WWG. The results revealed 8353 differentially expressed genes, 258 differentially expressed miRNAs, and 3254 differentially expressed lncRNAs. GO and KEGG functional enrichment annotation analysis of the differentially expressed lncRNAs target genes showed that they were significantly enriched biological processes and signaling pathways related to follicular development and egg production. The pathways include germ cell development, steroid hormone synthesis, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, and Wnt signaling pathway (P < 0.05). The ceRNA interaction network showed that MSTRG.20844.2-miR-2970-x-SLC7A11, MSTRG.11176.1-miR-425-x-LEF1, MSTRG.6230.1/MSTRG.11176.1-miR-1-z-CPEB1, MSTRG.5594.1-miR-133-y-ZAR1, MSTRG.17059.2-miR-22-y-CDH6, MSTRG. 23558.2-miR-137-y-TGFBR2, and XR_001213273.2-miR-301-y-RUNX3 may regulate follicular development and the egg production performance of WWG. The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed a targeting relationship between the MSTRG.20844.2-miR-2970-x-SLC7A11 axis. This study systematically expounded the post-transcriptional molecular mechanism of ovarian development and the laying performance of Wanxi white geese using lncRNA, miRNA, and mRNA, revealing the complex interaction between lncRNA and genes controlling follicular development and laying performance. Therefore, this study provided a reference for molecular breeding and genetic improvement of geese in the later stage.