Abstract
BackgroundCashmere is a keratinized product derived from the secondary hair follicles (SHFs) of cashmere goat skins. The cashmere fiber stops growing following the transition from the actively proliferating anagen stage to the apoptosis-driven catagen stage. However, little is known regarding the molecular mechanisms responsible for the occurrence of apoptosis in SHFs, especially as pertains to the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and their interactions with other molecules. Hair follicle (HF) degeneration is caused by localized apoptosis in the skin, while anti-apoptosis pathways may coexist in adjacent HFs. Thus, elucidating the molecular interactions responsible for apoptosis and anti-apoptosis in the skin will provide insights into HF regression.ResultsWe used multiple-omics approaches to systematically identify long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs) and mRNAs expressed in cashmere goat skins in two crucial phases (catagen vs. anagen) of HF growth. Skin samples were collected from three cashmere goats at the anagen (September) and catagen (February) stages, and six lncRNA libraries and six miRNA libraries were constructed for further analysis. We identified 1122 known and 403 novel lncRNAs in the goat skins, 173 of which were differentially expressed between the anagen and catagen stages. We further identified 3500 gene-encoding transcripts that were differentially expressed between these two phases. We also identified 411 known miRNAs and 307 novel miRNAs, including 72 differentially expressed miRNAs. We further investigated the target genes of lncRNAs via both cis- and trans-regulation during HF growth. Our data suggest that lncRNAs and miRNAs act synergistically in the HF growth transition, and the catagen inducer factors (TGFβ1 and BDNF) were regulated by miR-873 and lnc108635596 in the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks.ConclusionThis study enriches the repertoire of ncRNAs in goats and other mammals, and contributes to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of ncRNAs involved in the regulation of HF growth and regression in goats and other hair-producing species.
Highlights
Cashmere is a keratinized product derived from the secondary hair follicles (SHFs) of cashmere goat skins
We provided a catalog of predicted ncRNAs in goat skin that will help to explain their regulatory roles in the goat Hair follicle (HF) cycle
Step1, the number of transcripts possessing no less than 2 exons; step 2, the number of transcripts possessing more than 200 bp length; step 3, the left number of transcripts getting rid of known long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs); step 4, the left transcripts which fragments per kb per million reads (FPKM) ≥0.5; step 5, three coding potential screening tools (Coding-Non-Coding-Index, CNCI; Coding Potential Calculator, CPC and Pfam Scan, PFAM) applied to predict novel lncRNAs. (b) A venn diagram for step 5.;Figure S4
Summary
Cashmere is a keratinized product derived from the secondary hair follicles (SHFs) of cashmere goat skins. The cashmere fiber stops growing following the transition from the actively proliferating anagen stage to the apoptosis-driven catagen stage. Little is known regarding the molecular mechanisms responsible for the occurrence of apoptosis in SHFs, especially as pertains to the role of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and their interactions with other molecules. Hair follicle (HF) degeneration is caused by localized apoptosis in the skin, while anti-apoptosis pathways may coexist in adjacent HFs. elucidating the molecular interactions responsible for apoptosis and anti-apoptosis in the skin will provide insights into HF regression. Cashmere is produced by the secondary hair follicles (SHFs), which exhibit an annual periodicity, undergoing anagen (growth), catagen (regression), and telogen (resting) phases annually. Some of the molecular signals involved in HF regression process have been determined, including fibroblast growth factor (FGF), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), tumor necrosis factor-β (TNF-β), Wnt, sonic hedgehog (SHH), neurotrophins (NT), and homeobox proteins [7, 9,10,11,12,13]
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