microRNA profiling of jejunum mucosa of two laying hen lines at five time points during egg production period between 10 to 60 weeks of age

In this study, we deep-sequenced small RNAs of the jejunum mucosa in two laying hen strains (Lohmann Brown-Classic and Lohmann LSL-Classic) at 10, 16, 24, 30, and 60 weeks of age. These five time points span the initial, peak and end of the lay periods in which the hens critically experience physiological changes and need optimal diets to meet both growth and egg production requirements. Therefore, a comparative profiling of miRNAs, as key regulators of gene expression, in the jejunum mucosa may contribute to a better understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying genetics, age and nutrition factors of layers.