Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Avian Disease and Oncology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #341351
Title: Circular RNA alterations are involved in resistance to avian leukosis virus subgroup-J-induced tumor formation in chickens

Author
item ZHANG, X - South China Agricultural University
item YAN, Y - South China Agricultural University
item LEI, X - South China Agricultural University
item LI, A - South China Agricultural University
item Zhang, Huanmin
item DAI, Z - South China Agricultural University
item LI, X - South China Agricultural University
item CHEN, W - South China Agricultural University
item LIN, W - South China Agricultural University
item CHEN, F - South China Agricultural University
item MA, J - South China Agricultural University
item XIE, Q - South China Agricultural University

Submitted to: Oncotarget
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/8/2017
Publication Date: 3/22/2017
Citation: Zhang, X., Yan, Y., Lei, X., Li, A., Zhang, H., Dai, Z., Li, X., Chen, W., Lin, W., Chen, F., Ma, J., Xie, Q. 2017. Circular RNA alterations are involved in resistance to avian leukosis virus subgroup-J-induced tumor formation in chickens. Oncotarget. 8(21):34961-34970. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.16442.

Interpretive Summary: The oncogenic avian retrovirus, known as avian leukosis virus subgroup-J (ALV-J), remains a serious threat and causes oncogenic neoplasm in poultry when infected since most of chickens in the States are genetically susceptible to this virus. Recent studies have shown that a category of noncoding small RNA (RNAs that do not produce protein of any kind) known as circular RNAs is involved in infectious disease development. This study was designed to look into just that. Over 1800 circular RNAs were identified by RNA sequencing analysis. Of those, 32 such RNAs were identified with different expression levels between relatively resistant and susceptible chickens under the study. This finding provides the first piece of evidence that the circular RNAs may also be involved in ALV-J induced tumor formation and progression in poultry.

Technical Abstract: Avian leukosis virus subgroup (ALV-J) is an oncogenic neoplasm-inducing retrovirus that causes significant economic losses in the poultry industry. Recent studies have demonstrated circular RNAs (circRNAs) are implicated in pathogenic processes; however, no research has indicated circRNAs are involved in resistance to disease. In this study, over 1800 circRNAs were detected by circRNA sequencing of liver tissues from ALV-J-resistant (n = 3) and ALV-J-susceptible chickens (n = 3). 32 differentially expressed circRNAs were selected for analyzing including 12 upregulated in ALV-J-resistant chickens and 20 upregulated in ALV-J-susceptible chickens, besides, the top five microRNAs (miRNAs) for 12 upregulated circRNAs in ALV-J-resistant chickens were analyzed. Gene ontology and KEGG pathway analyses were performed for miRNA target genes, the predicted genes were mainly involved in immune pathways. This study provides the first evidence that circRNA alterations are involved in resistance to ALV-J-induced tumor formation. We propose circRNAs may help to mediate tumor induction and development in chickens.