Regulatory pathway analysis of coat color genes in Mongolian horses

Bei Li,Yiping Zhao,Xiaolong He,Wunierfu Shiraigo,Dugarjaviin Manglai,Qinan Zhao,Dongyi Bai

doi:10.1186/s41065-017-0048-y

Abstract

BackgroundStudies on the molecular genetics of horse skin pigmentation have typically focused on very few genes and proteins. In this study, we used Illumina sequencing to determine the global gene expression profiles in horses with white-colored coats and those with black-colored coats, with the goal of identifying novel genes that could regulate horse coat color.ResultsGenes encoding ribosomal-associated proteins were highly expressed in horse skin. We found a total of 231 unigenes that were differentially expressed between horses with white coats and horses with black coats; 119 were down-regulated, and 112 were up-regulated. Many of the up-regulated genes in black horses, such as genes related to tyrosine metabolism, may directly regulate dark coat color. Keratin genes, MIA family genes, fatty acid-related genes, and melanoma-associated genes were also differentially regulated, which suggests that they may play important roles in coat color formation.ConclusionsThese findings show that the transcription profiles from white and black horse skin provide useful information to understand the genetics underlying the control of skin melanin synthesis in horses, which may enhance our knowledge of human skin diseases, such as melanoma and albinism.

Highlights

Studies on the molecular genetics of horse skin pigmentation have typically focused on very few genes and proteins
Sampling and excision biopsy Skin biopsies were taken from the 4 Mongolian horses to analyze the enzymatic activity and metabolic status of melanocytes in the skin
And functional classification of unigenes from horse skin A total of 24,301,563, 22,691,201, 19,423,074 and 20,465,943 pair-end reads were generated in the black1, black2, white1 and white2 libraries, respectively, after the raw reads were filtered from the skins of white and black horses

Summary

Introduction

Studies on the molecular genetics of horse skin pigmentation have typically focused on very few genes and proteins. Mutation analyses have identified various genes that are involved in determining coat color in the horse [2]. Many of these genes regulate the expression and distribution of melanin, and their mutation can cause different phenotypes of the coat, skin, and eyes. Many of these gene mutations are situated within more than 60 loci that affect phenotype, and most are highly conserved in mammals, though the extent of their effect on pigment deposition varies [3]. Genes that commonly regulate skin and coat color in different mammalian species can be separated into 2 categories: one regulates the production, proliferation, or migration of

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Conclusion