Identification and characterization of the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in gene regulation of bovine metabolic processes

In this dissertation, transcriptional, phenotypic and metabolomic data of F-2-bulls (N = 24) and F-2-cows (N = 24) of a Charolais-Holstein cross were analysed in an integrative procedure to determine long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) for their putative function and possible influence on nutrient distribution. Based on plasma metabolites (N = 640), fat gain and distribution and residual feed intake (bulls) or energy-corrected milk yield (cows), the animals were divided into two divergent metabolic groups. Project-specific transcript annotations were created using RNA sequencing data from four tissues (liver, jejunum, skeletal muscle, and rumen) and the bovine reference genome (UCD3.1 or ARS-UCD.1.2). These annotations contained 7,646 and 6,161 transcripts classified as lncRNAs, respectively. Using correlation, network and pathway enrichment analyses, the gene regulatory potential and the possible biological function were determined for lncRNAs. The results underlined the involvement of lncRNAs in various metabolic processes, such as the citrate and urea cycles, gluconeogenesis, fatty acid-beta oxidation, the PPAR pathway, amino acid and lipid metabolism and protein biosynthesis. Co-expression with colocalised protein-coding genes suggested a joint regulation or transcriptional stabilisation function of the lncRNAs. Results from this dissertation contributed to the further annotation of the bovine genome.