MicroRNA sequencing in control vs 24 hour frozen hind leg skeletal muscle of Dryophytes versicolor

The grey treefrog, Dryophytes versicolor, can survive whole body freezing for many weeks during the cold winter months. Survival in a state devoid of available food, water, or oxygen forces reliance on metabolic rate depression (MRD) and reprioritization of bodily functions. Differentially expressed microRNA (miRNA) have proved to be a promising candidate for studies of stress tolerance. The current study utilizes next-generation sequencing and bioinformatic analyses to characterize changes in the microRNAome of D. versicolor hind leg skeletal muscle in response to whole body freezing. KEGG and GO analyses predicted significant negative enrichment of terms associated with cell proliferation and active metabolism while simultaneously predicting the upregulation of cell signaling terms. These results suggest a fast-acting regulatory role for miRNA in contributing to the reorganization of gene expression and limitation of energy expensive processes during MRD in muscles of frozen frogs.