Whole Transcriptome Sequencing and Differential Analysis of Testes in Pre- and Post-Sexual Maturity Bactrian Camels (Camelus bactrianus)

Testicular development in male animals is a conserved and highly regulated biological process. Investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying testicular development in <i>Junggar Bactrian camels</i> is essential for gaining a deeper understanding of this process in the species. This study selected testicular tissue from the <i>Junggar Bactrian camel</i> at pre-sexual maturity (G3 group, <i>n</i> = 4, 3 years old) and post-sexual maturity (G5 group, <i>n</i> = 4, 5 years old) for whole transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. We identified differentially expressed mRNA (DEmRNA), including <i>KPNA2</i> and <i>LRRC46</i>; differentially expressed LncRNA (DELncRNA), including <i>LOC123613926</i> and <i>LOC123613624</i>; and differentially expressed miRNA (DEmiRNA), including <i>eca-miR-196a</i> and <i>eca-miR-183</i>. Additionally, we also identified 87 currently unnamed DEmiRNAs, which are of practical value for future research on the <i>Junggar Bactrian camel</i> testicular development and spermatogenesis. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that DERNA are mainly involved in functions and processes such as protein binding (MF), protein import into nucleus (BP), and extracellular space (CC), as well as signaling pathways such as Insulin, FoxO, MAPK, and PI3K-Akt. Subsequently, we predicted some DEmiRNAs and DELncRNAs association with DEmRNAs, and constructed the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network. Finally, we randomly selected 10 DERNAs for RT-qPCR validation, and the transcriptome results were consistent with the RT-qPCR results, indicating that the sequencing results were true and reliable. In conclusion, this study analyzed the differential expression of mRNA, LncRNA, and miRNA in <i>Junggar Bactrian camels</i> before and after sexual maturity, providing data references for future studies related to testicular development and spermatogenesis.