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De novo characterization of the antler tip of Chinese Sika deer transcriptome and analysis of gene expression related to rapid growth

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Abstract

Deer antlers are well known for their regeneration and rapid growth. However, little is known about the genes that are involved in their development, especially the molecular mechanisms responsible for rapid growth. In the present study, we produced more than 41 million sequencing reads using the Illumina sequencing platform. These reads were assembled into 89,001 unique sequences (mean size: 450 bp), representing more than 58 times as many Sika deer sequences previously available in the NCBI database (as of Sep 15, 2011). Based on a similarity search with known proteins, we identified 40,088 sequences with a cut-off E value of 10−5. Assembled sequences were then annotated using Gene ontology terms, Clusters of Orthologous Groups classifications, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways. In addition, we found a number of highly expressed genes involved in the regulation of Sika deer antler rapid growth, including transcription factors, signaling molecules, and extracellular matrix proteins. Our data represent the most comprehensive sequence resource available for the deer antler and provide a basis for new research on deer antler molecular genetics and functional genomics.

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Abbreviations

GO:

Gene ontology

COGs:

Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins

KEGG:

Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2011BAI03B00), and the National Science and Technology Major Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2011ZX09401-305-09).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Health, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China

    Baojin Yao & Juan Li

  2. Center for New Medicine Research, Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, 130117, China

    Baojin Yao, Yu Zhao, Mei Zhang, Meichen Liu & Hailong Liu

  3. Institute of Life Sciences, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, 350108, China

    Qun Wang

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  1. Baojin Yao
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  2. Yu Zhao
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  4. Mei Zhang
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  7. Juan Li
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Correspondence to Yu Zhao or Juan Li.

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Yao, B., Zhao, Y., Wang, Q. et al. De novo characterization of the antler tip of Chinese Sika deer transcriptome and analysis of gene expression related to rapid growth. Mol Cell Biochem 364, 93–100 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11010-011-1209-3

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