Integrative analysis of RNA-seq and Ribo-seq reveals that lncRNA regulates chicken myogenesis through encoding peptide

BACKGROUND: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in various critical regulatory steps during myogenesis. LncRNAs can encode small peptides, which can regulate gene expression through multiple mechanisms, thereby participating in key biological processes. RESULTS: The lncRNAs were screened between proliferating and differentiating myoblast in chicken through RNA-seq and Ribo-seq. As a result, 178 DE-lncRNAs were identified in RNA-seq, and three of them were identified as differentially translated lncRNAs by Ribo-seq. Among them, lncMPD, which showed coding potential, was highly expressed in proliferating myoblast. It encoded a small peptide containing 74 amino acids, which was named MPD-74aa. MPD-74aa was validated via WB and mass spectrometry. We subsequently confirmed that MPD-74aa promotes myoblast proliferation and inhibits its differentiation. Co-IP revealed that MPD-74aa interacts with the protein CDK1. Moreover, MPD-74aa positively regulated the expression of CDK1. CONCLUSION: This study confirms that the lncMPD plays a crucial regulatory role in the chicken myogenesis by encoding the small peptide MPD-74aa. Mechanistically, MPD-74aa exerts its regulatory function through interaction with CDK1, a key protein marker of cell proliferation. These findings provide new insight into the molecular mechanisms about the coding capacity of lncRNA regulating chicken muscle development.