Dataset for miRNA expression analysis in the peripheral white blood cells of beef heifers at weaning

Authors: BANERJEE, PRIYANKA - Auburn University; DINIZ, WELLISON - Auburn University; DYCE, PAUL - Auburn University

Submitted to: Data in Brief
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/16/2023
Publication Date: 8/22/2023
Citation: Banerjee, P., Diniz, W.J., Dyce, P.W. 2023. Dataset for miRNA expression analysis in the peripheral white blood cells of beef heifers at weaning. Data in Brief. 50:109515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2023.109515.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2023.109515

Interpretive Summary: Beef calf management strategies used during the weaning and postweaning period can have extended effects on growth performance and health in the production chain. With the number of different practices beef cow-calf operators can use during these stages of production, it is important for Extension educators to understand which management strategies are most commonly used and where educational gaps might exist. A study was conducted to determine farmer perceptions, on-farm applications, and potential barriers to adopting beef calf weaning and backgrounding strategies among Alabama producers. For respondents that do not background their calves, market unpredictability is the main driver surrounding the decision to keep calves for backgrounding or to sell immediately after weaning. Key challenges producers who practice managed weaning and backgrounding strategies face in their operations include input costs, land availability, and market predictability.

Technical Abstract: Subfertility in beef heifers leads to a substantial economic loss for producers and beef industry. To overcome this problem, producers require an efficient system to discriminate beef heifers with varying reproductive potential as early as possible. MicroRNAs are short non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Herein, we profiled the miRNAs in peripheral white blood cells (PWBC) of beef heifers at weaning to investigate the differences in the beef heifers with varying reproductive outcomes. Blood samples from Angus-Simmental crossbred heifers were collected at weaning. The blood was processed to extract the PWBC pellet and was stored at -80 °C until further processing. After the synchronization of estrus and breeding protocol (artificial insemination (AI) followed by natural bull service) and pregnancy diagnosis, the heifers were categorized as fertile (pregnant to AI) or subfertile (not pregnant to AI or bull exposure). Total RNA was extracted from PWBC collected at the time of weaning from the fertile and subfertile heifers. After quality assessment, the total RNA was used to prepare libraries. The quality-checked libraries (n = 14; 7 samples per fertile and subfertile group) were pooled and sequenced (single-end 50 bp) using a NextSeq 500 platform. The raw sequence reads were analyzed using a bioinformatics workflow utilizing FastQC and MultiQC for quality control, Cutadapt for adapter trimming, miRDeep2 for alignment, and DESeq2 for differential expression analysis. The raw and normalized miRNA counts were deposited and made publicly available on the gene expression omnibus database (GEO; GSE225854). This is the first dataset investigating the miRNA expression level in PWBC at weaning in beef heifers to predict the future reproductive outcome. The results from the data presented here are reported in the research article titled “miRNA expression profiles of peripheral white blood cells from beef heifers with varying reproductive potential” [1].