The lncRNAs Implicated in Redox Regulation in Ybx1 Deficient Zebrafish Larvae

Ybx1 has been demonstrated as a crucial gene in embryogenesis, reproduction as well as development in various vertebrates such as mouse and zebrafish. However, the underlying lncRNA-mediated mechanisms require deep investigation. Particularly, the importance of lncRNA to vertebrate development is controversial and questionable since many studies have yielded contradictory conclusions for the same lncRNAs. In the present study, in order to disclose the lncRNAs implicated in vertebrate development, a systematic transcriptome analysis is conducted based on the RNA sequencing data derived from ybx1 homozygous mutant zebrafish on day5 (day5_ybx1-/-) as well as wild type zebrafish on day5 and day6 (day5_ybx1+/+, day6_ybx1+/+). A high-confidence dataset of zebrafish lncRNAs is detected using a stepwise filtering pipeline. Differential expression analysis and co-expression network analysis reveal that several lncRNAs probably act on duox and noxo1a, the genes related to redox (reduction–oxidation reaction) processes which are triggered by ybx1 disruption. Validation by an experimental study on three selected lncRNAs indicates that knockdown of all selected lncRNAs leads to morphological deformation of larvae. In addition, our experiments effectively support the prediction of network analysis in many interaction patterns between the selected lncRNAs and the two redox genes (duox, noxo1a). In short, our study provides new insights into the function and mechanism of lncRNAs implicated in zebrafish embryonic development and demonstrates the importance of lncRNAs in vertebrate development.