Review on MicroRNA (miRNA) in economically important fish and its application in aquaculture

MicroRNAs are small non-protein-coding RNA molecules mostly with a length of ۱۸–۲۵ nucleotides; they are capable of controlling gene expression at the posttranscriptional level by binding to messenger RNA (mRNA) and play important roles in the regulation of almost every biological process in eukaryotes. Advancements in the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and bioinformatics field have helped identify or solve biological questions in fishes using genome and transcriptome sequencing, and the field of MicroRNA detection and biology has advanced over the last decade. The identification of miRNAs in aquaculture fish species began with a description of miRNA expression profiles in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss); these small molecules are great targets for understanding fish biology, and miRNAs possess very attractive features for their immediate implementation as biomarkers that can be used to select adaptive traits. in aquatic livestock, they have been recognized as the main posttranscriptional regulators of biological features of economic interest, including body growth, muscle development, fat deposition, and immunology, among other highly valuable traits, and also can improve the selective breeding programs. the existence of highly conserved miRNAs and their target mRNA among vertebrates can lead to the broad application of knowledge acquired from one fish species to another, the purpose of this review is to explain biogenesis, mechanism of action and also briefing available data on miRNA identification and functional characterization in the most important globally farmed fish species, finally, we examine the potential use of miRNA in many aspects of aquaculture and describe known miRNAs that play a role in the important aspect of aquaculture such as growth, immunity, nutrition, breeding and also environmental stress in economically important fish.

کلیدواژه ها:

MicroRNA ، economically important fish ، aquaculture