Transcriptome analysis of black and white skin in chicken

Melanin content is a critical factor affecting meat quality traits in black-bone chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) breeds. Melanogenesis involves a large number of genes, transcription factors, and non-coding RNAs. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of non-coding transcripts with a length more than 200 bp; these transcripts play important roles in various physiological functions. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of lncRNAs in melanogenesis remain unclear. The present study depicted the expression profiles of lncRNAs and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in black- (B group) and white- (W group) skinned chickens using RNA sequencing.