Changes in circRNA expression profiles related to the antagonistic effects of Escherichia coli F17 in lamb spleens

Sheep colibacillosis is one of the most common bacterial diseases in large-scale sheep farms. In this study, we orally administered Escherichia coli F17 (E. coli F17) to lambs to obtain antagonistic and sensitive individuals. We used RNA-seq to screen for differential circRNAs in the spleens of both antagonist and sensitive individuals to explore the effect of circRNA on anti-diarrhoea in sheep. The results showed that 60 differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs were screened by RNA-seq in the spleen of antagonistic and sensitive lambs, among which 31 were up-regulated and 29 were down-regulated; q-PCR was used to validate the relative expression levels of six randomly selected circRNAs in antagonist and susceptible lambs and found to be consistent with the results of RNA-seq. Using Miranda analysis of circRNA-miRNA-mRNA interactions, we found a certain target relationship between 6 circRNAs, 5 miRNAs and 9 mRNAs. The relative expression levels of mRNA in antagonistic and sensitive lambs were verified by q-PCR and were consistent with the results of RNA-seq. This study explored the expression profile of circRNA in the spleen of an antagonistic and susceptible lamb with diarrhoea and found that differentially expressed circRNAs were helpful for determining how the lambs resist the pathogenesis of diarrhoea and provided a scientific basis for lambs to resist diarrhoea.