Alligator sinensis microRNA transcriptome of embryonic gonads. Alligator sinensis

The Chinese alligator, a freshwater crocodilian endemic to China, shows temperature-dependent sex determination. Currently, the human hunting, wetland disruption, and global climate change have together caused that this reptile becomes a critically endangered species. In this study, we sequenced microRNA transcriptome of Chinese alligator embryonic gonads in order to reveal the potential regulatory role of small RNAs during temperature-dependent sex determination, and provide new insights into the conservation of Chinese alligator population.