Analysis of Expression Profiles of CircRNA and MiRNA in Oviduct during the Follicular and Luteal Phases of Sheep with Two Fecundity (FecB Gene) Genotypes

CircRNA and miRNA, as classes of non-coding RNA, have been found to play pivotal roles in sheep reproduction. There are many reports of circRNA and miRNA in the ovary and uterus, but few in the oviduct. In this study, RNA-Seq was performed to analyze the expression profile of circRNA and miRNA in the oviduct during the follicular phase and luteal phase of sheep with FecB^BB and FecB⁺⁺ genotypes. The results showed that a total of 3223 circRNAs and 148 miRNAs were identified. A total of 15 DE circRNAs and 40 DE miRNAs were found in the comparison between the follicular phase and luteal phase, and 1 DE circRNA and 18 DE miRNAs were found in the comparison between the FecB^BB genotype and FecB⁺⁺ genotype. GO and KEGG analyses showed that the host genes of DE circRNAs were mainly enriched in the Rap1 signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions. Novel_circ_0004065, novel_circ_0005109, novel_circ_0012086, novel_circ_0014274 and novel_circ_0001794 were found to be possibly involved in the oviductal reproduction process. GO and KEGG analyses showed that the target genes of DE miRNAs were mainly enriched in insulin secretion, the cAMP signaling pathway, the cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, the Rap1 signaling pathway and the TGF-β signaling pathway, and the target genes LPAR1, LPAR2, FGF18, TACR3, BMP6, SMAD4, INHBB, SKP1 and TGFBR2 were found to be associated with the reproductive process. Miranda software was used to identify 27 miRNAs that may bind to 13 DE circRNAs, including miR-22-3p (target to novel_circ_0004065), miR-127, miR-136 (target to novel_circ_0000417), miR-27a (target to novel_circ_0014274) and oar-miR-181a (target to novel_circ_ 0017815). The results of this study will help to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of circRNAs and miRNAs in sheep reproduction. Our study, although not establishing direct causal relationships of the circRNA and miRNA changes, enriches the sheep circRNA and miRNA database and provides a basis for further studies on sheep reproduction.