Systematic Analysis of Long Noncoding RNA and mRNA in Granulosa Cells During the Hen Ovulatory Cycle

In this study, gene expression in Rohman layers was investigated at three distinct stages of the ovulatory cycle: zeitgeber time 0 (ZT0, 9:00 a.m.), zeitgeber time 12 (ZT12, 9:00 p.m.), and zeitgeber time 20 (ZT20, 5:00 a.m.) representing the early, middle, and LH surge stages, respectively, of the ovulatory cycle. Gene expression profiles were explored during follicle development at ZT0, ZT12, and ZT20 using Ribo-Zero RNA sequencing. At 210-days, the birds were sacrificed at 9:00 AM (ZT0, N=3), 21:00 PM (ZT12, N=3) and 05:00 AM (ZT20, N=3). For total RNA sequencing, about 4 μg total RNA was isolated from the granulosa cells (a total of 9 samples).