Integrative analysis of Iso-Seq and RNA-seq data reveals transcriptome complexity and differentially expressed transcripts in sheep tail fat

Abstract

In the present study, we revealed the transcriptomic complexity of the tail fat of sheep, result in 9,001 potential novel gene loci, 17,834 AS events, 5,791 APA events, and 3,764 lncRNAs. Combining Iso-Seq data with RNA-Seq data, we identified hundreds of DETs between thin- and fat-tailed sheep. Among them, 21 differentially expressed lncRNAs, such as ENSOART00020036299, ENSOART00020033641, ENSOART00020024562, ENSOART00020003848 and 9.53.1 may regulate tail fat deposition. Many novel transcripts were identified as DETs, including 15.527.13 (<i>DGAT2</i>), 13.624.23 (<i>ACSS2</i>), 11.689.28 (<i>ACLY</i>), 11.689.18 (<i>ACLY</i>), 11.689.14 (<i>ACLY</i>), 11.660.12 (<i>ACLY</i>), 22.289.6 (<i>SCD</i>), 22.289.3 (<i>SCD</i>) and 22.289.14 (<i>SCD</i>). Most of the identified DETs have been enriched in GO and KEGG pathways related to extracellular matrix (ECM). Our result revealed the transcriptome complexity and identified many candidate transcripts in tail fat, which could enhance the understanding of molecular mechanisms behind tail fat deposition.