Abstract
GNAI2 (G protein subunit alpha i2) is a signaling modulator or transducer, involved in several transmembrane signaling systems, that plays a vital role in the melanogenesis signaling pathway. However, whether GNAI2 regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis in rabbit melanocytes is not known. We found that GNAI2 was differentially expressed in rabbits with different coat colors using qRT-PCR and Wes assays. Furthermore, it was observed that the rabbits with black skin had the highest GNAI2 levels, and those with white skin had the lowest expression. The coding sequence of GNAI2 was successfully cloned and inserted into pcDNA3.1 and pcDNA3.1-Myc vectors. It was observed that the GNAI2 protein was mainly localized in the cytoplasm using the indirect immunofluorescence staining assay. Overexpression of GNAI2 significantly increased melanin content, promoted melanocyte proliferation, and inhibited melanocyte apoptosis. On the contrary, the knockdown of GNAI2 using siRNA had the opposite effect. In addition, GNAI2 significantly increased the mRNA expression levels of the melanin-related genes TYR, GPNMB, PMEL, and DCT in rabbit melanocytes. The results suggested that GNAI2 regulated melanocyte development by promoting melanocyte proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis.
Highlights
Melanogenesis is a complex process of the synthesis and storage of melanin initiated by tyrosinase, which is synthesized by melanocytes, after it enters the melanosomes [1].Melanogenesis plays an important role in the formation of different coat colors in mammals
To determine whether GNAI2 was involved in the formation of rabbit coat colors, the expression levels of GNAI2 were detected in the skin of rabbits of different coat colors
It was found that the mRNA expression of GNAI2 in the black skin was significantly higher than that in the other skins (p < 0.05), and the lowest expression was detected in the white skin (Figure 1B)
Summary
Melanogenesis plays an important role in the formation of different coat colors in mammals. There are two distinct types of melanin pigments: eumelanin and pheomelanin, the proportions of which determine the coat color of the animal [2,3,4]. Melanogenesis is regulated by several signaling systems, transcription factors, and melanin-related genes [7,8]. Α-MSH plays an important role in melanogenesis by regulating the proportions of pheomelanin and eumelanin via MC1R [10]. The TYR gene is essential for melanin biosynthesis in melanocytes; it was differentially expressed in black and white feather bulbs, indicating that it plays an important role in the melanin formation of feather bulb color in the plumage [11].
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