The Overexpression of Tβ4 in the Hair Follicle Tissue of Alpas Cashmere Goats Increases Cashmere Yield and Promotes Hair Follicle Development
Bai Dai,
Hao Liang,
Dong-dong Guo,
Zhao-wei Bi,
Jian-long Yuan,
Yong Jin,
Lei Huan,
Xu-dong Guo,
Ming Cang,
Dong-jun Liu
Affiliations
Bai Dai
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Hao Liang
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Dong-dong Guo
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Zhao-wei Bi
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Jian-long Yuan
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Yong Jin
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Lei Huan
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Xu-dong Guo
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Ming Cang
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Dong-jun Liu
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, School of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010070, China
Increased cashmere yield and improved quality are some goals of cashmere goat breeding. Thymosin beta-4 (Tβ4) plays a key role in the growth and development of hair follicles. For the past ten years, we have evaluated the role of Tβ4 by establishing a flock of 15 cashmere goats that specifically overexpress the Tβ4 gene in the hair follicles. These Tβ4 overexpression (Tβ4-OE) cashmere goats had more secondary hair follicles than the WT goats and produced more cashmere. Meanwhile, combined analysis of the skin transcriptome and proteome in cashmere goats suggested that Tβ4 may affect hair growth by interacting with keratin type II cytoskeletal 4 epidermal (KRT4) to mediate the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) signaling pathway, thereby promoting the development of secondary hair follicles, and consequently, increasing cashmere yield. Thus, the specific overexpression of Tβ4 in the hair follicles of cashmere goats effectively increased the cashmere yield.
