Genome-wide identification of conserved and novel microRNAs in Vinciguerria nimbaria through small RNA sequencing

Vinciguerria nimbaria is a mesopelagic fish known for its diel vertical migration, yet its genomic information remains unexplored. In this study, we performed small RNA sequencing to identify both conserved and novel microRNAs (miRNAs) in V. nimbaria. Through genome-independent analysis, we annotated conserved miRNAs by homology and predicted novel miRNAs using de novo computational approaches. This is the first report to characterize the miRNA landscape in V. nimbaria, providing a foundational resource for understanding small RNA-mediated regulation in non-model mesopelagic fishes. Our findings offer new insights into the evolutionary conservation and species-specific features of miRNA expression in deep-sea environments.