Loading...
Skeletal muscle miRNA profiling in Charolais steers divergent for feed efficiency potential
Files
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Citation
0
Abstract
Efficient utilisation of feed resources in beef production systems is a major determinant of overall financial and
environmental sustainability. Thus, identifying genes implicated in feed efficiency may allow for the identification and
subsequent breeding of feed efficient cattle, benefiting sustainability. Moreover, it is crucial that genes contributing to
feed efficiency are robust across varying management settings including for example dietary source. RNAseq analysis
was employed to profile the skeletal muscle tissue miRNAome of Charolais steers divergent for residual feed intake
(RFI) over consecutive contrasting dietary phases. During phase 1, steers were offered zero-grazed grass, followed
by a high-concentrate diet for dietary phase 2. Muscle biopsies were collected at the end of each dietary phase from
cattle most divergent for RFI. RNAseq was subsequently undertaken on muscle biopsies followed by bioinformatic
analysis to determine differentially expressed (DE) miRNA between steers divergent for RFI across each dietary phase.
Over each dietary phase, growth rates were not different (P>0.05) between RFI groups, however High-RFI (feed
inefficient) steers consumed more feed (P<0.05). In total, 8 miRNA were identified as DE (P-value<0.05) between
steers divergent in RFI, 6 were DE following the zero-grazed grass diet and 2 DE following the high-concentrate
dietary phase. Of particular interest were miR-2419-5p and miR-2415-3p, both of which were up-regulated in the
Low-RFI (feed efficient) steers compared to their High-RFI contemporaries across each dietary phase. The predicted
target mRNA genes of miR-2419-5p and miR-2415-3p revealed an involvement in processes related to growth and
metabolism. These results provide insight into the skeletal muscle miRNAome of beef cattle and their potential
molecular regulatory mechanisms relating to feed efficiency. This research was funded by the Irish Department
of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (RSF13/S/519) and by the Research Leaders 2025 programme, co-funded by
Teagasc and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie SkłodowskaCurie grant agreement number 754380.