Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a type of small non-coding RNAs involved in the post-transcriptional repression of target mRNA transcripts, and responsible for the fine-tuning of numerous molecular mechanisms regulating cell metabolism. The presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in miRNA genes is known to affect their expression dynamics and binding affinity towards targeted mRNAs, thus potentially modifying gene regulatory networks. Since domestication, goats have spread worldwide, adapting to diverse environmental conditions. However, a comprehensive analysis of how evolutionary forces across and within continental regions have influenced the genome-wide distribution of miRNA polymorphisms in domestic goats is still lacking. By using whole-genome sequencing data from 1,059 domestic goats with African, Asian, American and European origins, we have identified SNPs located within and around goat miRNA genes. In doing so, we have found that miRNA SNPs display very low alternative allele frequencies (median alternative allele frequency of 0.38%) and that the distribution of SNPs within and around miRNA genes is uneven. Remarkably, the stem, loop and neighboring regulatory regions of precursor miRNA hairpins show a significantly higher SNP density compared to the miRNA seed, which determines the binding affinity to target mRNAs. This outcome is probably explained by the occurrence of strong purifying selection removing polymorphisms with potential effects on gene regulatory networks linked to miRNA function. Moreover, we have detected a differential segregation of miRNA SNPs across and within continental regions, with an enriched segregation of putatively high-impact polymorphisms—those located in the seed and other biologically relevant regions of miRNA genes—in isolated goat populations with a low census and reduced heterozygosity. Such information could be useful to investigate the phenotypic consequences of miRNA polymorphisms disrupting gene regulatory networks in domestic goats, as well as to assess their potential impact on adaptation and fitness.
Source: HAL
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7206579707