Abstract
AimThe target molecule regulatory function of microRNA-21 (miR-21) in multiple signalling pathways has become a main focus of genetic and pharmacological regulatory studies of various diseases. The identification of target genes for miRNA-21 in the development of hair follicles can provide new research pathways for the regulation of cell development.MethodsIn the present study, eight six-month-old ewes from Super Merino (SM) and Small Tailed Han (STH) sheep breeds were selected. Target prediction and dual-luciferase wild-type and mutant vectors were used to identify the target genes of miR-21. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and bioinformatics analysis were conducted to analyze the effects of miR-21.ResultsThe results show that the expressions of CNKSR2, KLF3 and TNPO1 were downregulated by miRNA-21 at rates of 36%, 26% and 48%, respectively. Moreover, there was a significant negative correlation between the expression of miR-21 and the three target genes in sheep with two extreme phenotypes. The expression of microRNA-21in October was significantly lower than that in January and February; while the expression of CNKSR2, KLF3 and TNPO1 in October was higher than that in January and February. Conclusions: These results suggest that CNKSR2, KLF3 and TNPO1 are three newly discovered target genes of miR-21 and might be involved in the effects of miR-21 on hair follicle development.
Highlights
The skin is the largest organ system covering the surface of animals’ bodies and is divided into the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue
The results of the present study provide a basis for further investigation of miRNA-mediated Hair follicles (HF) development in sheep
According to the rules of bioinformatics for predicting target genes, miR-21 starts from the second base pair, and the three genes at the 3 UTR sequence are matched with each other
Summary
The skin is the largest organ system covering the surface of animals’ bodies and is divided into the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous tissue. Hair follicles (HF) are a complex morphological and structural appendage of the skin that controls the growth of hair and whose most prominent characteristic is regeneration. HF consist of epithelial and dermal tissues (Alonso & Fuchs, 2006). The development process of hair follicles comprises a series of activities, such as proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, migration and mutual connection between skin epithelial cells and dermal cells. HF can be divided into primary hair follicles and secondary hair follicles. An important characteristic of HFs is periodic growth, and HF usually undergo recurrent phases of growth (anagen), regression (catagen), and resting
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