Transcriptome analysis reveals the key long non-coding RNAs and genes related to cashmere shedding in goats.

Abstract

Objective: Cashmere goat is renowned for its superior characteristics of cashmere fibers. Cashmere shedding is closely related to the cashmere production in cashmere goats, but its molecular regulatory mechanism is not fully understood.

Methods: In this study, we collected skin tissues from already-shed cashmere goats (AS) and non-shed cashmere goats (NS). Morphological differences were observed and relative expression levels of indicator genes distinguishing anagen from telogen of hair follicles were assessed. Whole transcriptome sequencing was employed to investigate key regulatory factors including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and different expression genes (DEGs) and followed by preliminary validation, interaction network construction and functional verification.

Results: Comparative histological analysis found that density, depth, width, hair bulb width and activity of secondary hair follicles (SHFs) in AS individuals were significantly lower than those in NS individuals. Expression detection results of indicator genes distinguishing anagen from telogen indicated that the SHFs of NS individuals were predominantly in telogen phase, whereas those of AS individuals were more inclined towards anagen phase. Transcriptome sequencing analysis screened 450 DEGs with 338 upregulated and 112 downregulated, as well as 352 different expression lncRNAs including 168 upregulated and 184 downregulated. Regulatory networks of lncRNAs and their co-expression DEGs were constructed, and lncRNA LOC108637151 and its co-expression gene, Selenoprotein P (SEPP1), were identified as key regulatory factors of cashmere shedding in goats, and both of them showed high expression levels in AS individuals. The overexpression of LOC108637151 in dermal papilla cells (DPCs) led to the increasing expression of its target gene SEPP1 and promoted the proliferation of DPCs in cashmere goats.

Conclusion: This study identified key lncRNAs and genes related to cashmere shedding in goats along with their regulatory relationships. The results provided a basis for revealing the potential molecular mechanisms of cashmere shedding in goats.