Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2021, Vol. 52 ›› Issue (12): 3524-3534.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2021.012.019

• PREVENTIVE VETERINARY MEDICINE • Previous Articles     Next Articles

CircRNAs Expression Patterns in the Liver of Beagle Dogs at Different Stages of Toxocara canis Infection

ZOU Yang1,2, ZHENG Wenbin3, ZHANG Jinpeng1, LU Yixin1*, ZHU Xingquan2,3*   

  1. 1. Heilongjiang Key Laboratory for Zoonosis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China;
    2. State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730046, China;
    3. College of Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, China
  • Received:2021-03-08 Online:2021-12-25 Published:2021-12-22

Abstract: This study was conducted to investigate the potential regulatory role of circRNAs in the definitive host liver in the pathogenesis induced by Toxocara canis. The six-to-seven-week-old Beagle puppies (n=18) were averagely divided into three stages (0.5 day post infection, 1 dpi, and 36 dpi), and their liver samples were collected at the corresponding time points after infection. Each stage included infected group and control group. Total RNA was extracted from the livers of infected and uninfected puppies, and the circRNA libraries were constructed and sequenced by high-throughput RNA sequencing. The differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs were analyzed, and GO and KEGG enrichment analysis were performed using the source genes of DE circRNAs. The nine DEcircRNAs were randomly selected for quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) verification. Compared to the control groups, 94, 103, and 84 DE circRNAs of dogs' livers were detected in the livers of infected dogs at the three infection stages, respectively. Venn plot analysis showed that there were no co-expressed DE circRNAs among the three stages of infection. GO and KEGG analysis showed that some DE circRNAs were related to immunity and inflammation in the host liver. Among these DE circRNAs, novel_circ_0016108, novel_circ_0016184 and novel_circ_0027468 were related to the natural immunity of host against T. canis infection; novel_circ_0002212 was involved in liver inflammation caused by T. canis; novel_circ_0002212 and novel_circ_0019907 play a role in the host liver's resistance to T. canis invasion. RT-qPCR validation showed that the expression trends of DE circRNAs obtained by both methods were consistent. These results suggest that circRNAs play an important role in the infection of definitive host (dogs) by T. canis. This study provided new information for further understanding of the interaction between T. canis and its definitive host, and will also facilitate the development of interventions for the disease.

Key words: Toxocara canis, Beagle dogs, liver, RNA sequencing, circRNAs

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