CircACLY regulates proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of Jingyuan chicken myoblasts by sponging gga-miR-6660-3P

Abstract Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are key gene regulators that are involved in many fundamental biological processes. Skeletal muscle cannot develop normally without the involvement of circRNA. While circRNA plays a pivotal role in skeletal muscle development, its functions and mechanisms within the muscle development of local chicken breeds remain to be thoroughly elucidated. This study, using the Jingyuan chicken as a model, investigated the regulatory role of circACLY in skeletal muscle development and inosine monophosphate (IMP) synthesis. Experiments verified that circACLY is a circRNA that is mainly localized to the cytoplasm. Bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation demonstrated that circACLY is a target of gga-miR-6660-3p, which in turn regulates the expression of Ectonucleotide Triphosphate Diphosphohydrolase 7 (ENTPD7). Functional assays demonstrated that gga-miR-6660-3p inhibits myoblast proliferation and differentiation capacity while suppressing the de novo IMP synthesis pathway. However, circACLY reverses the inhibitory effects of gga-miR-6660-3p on these processes. This study systematically elucidates the regulatory mechanism of the circACLY/gga-miR-6660-3p/ENTPD7 axis in the development of quail myoblasts and IMP synthesis, providing a theoretical basis for deepening the understanding of the molecular basis of skeletal muscle development in local chicken breeds and the genetic improvement of meat quality traits.