College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu 030801, Shanxi Province, China.
Department of Bioengineering, Shuozhou Vocational and Technical College, Shuozhou 036002, Shanxi Province, China.
Acta Histochem. 2020 May;122(4):151539. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2020.151539. Epub 2020 Apr 21.
The natural coat color is an important trait of vertebrate animals. For example, the coat color can help avoid harm to human beings caused by chemical dyeing, and it has economic significance for domestic animals. The bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) and its antagonist Noggin can regulate pigmentation and the generation of coat color in mice; thus, they may also regulate the coat color of Kazakh sheep. To gain mechanistic insight into this possibility, we determined the relative expression levels of BMP4 and Noggin in the skin of white and brown Kazakh sheep by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blotting analysis. The localization of BMP4 and Noggin were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). The results of qPCR and western blot analysis demonstrated that the relative expression levels of BMP4 and Noggin in the skin of brown Kazakh sheep were significantly higher than those in white Kazakh sheep. Our IHC results showed that the BMP4 protein was expressed in the epidermis and root sheath of the Kazakh sheep skin. The Noggin protein was expressed in the epidermis, root sheath, hair shaft, and dermal papilla of the Kazakh sheep skin. These results provide a theoretical basis for additional studies regarding the association and mechanism of BMP4 and Noggin in coat-color formation in Kazakh sheep. These results may provide new methods for developing treatment strategies for pigmentation disorders and diseases.
天然毛色是脊椎动物的一个重要特征。例如，毛色可以帮助避免人类因化学染色而受到伤害，而且对家畜具有经济意义。骨形态发生蛋白 4（BMP4）及其拮抗剂 Noggin 可以调节小鼠的色素沉着和毛色生成；因此，它们也可能调节哈萨克羊的毛色。为了深入了解这种可能性的机制，我们通过定量实时聚合酶链反应（qPCR）和 Western blot 分析确定了白色和棕色哈萨克羊毛皮中 BMP4 和 Noggin 的相对表达水平。通过免疫组织化学（IHC）检测 BMP4 和 Noggin 的定位。qPCR 和 Western blot 分析的结果表明，棕色哈萨克羊毛皮中 BMP4 和 Noggin 的相对表达水平明显高于白色哈萨克羊毛皮。我们的 IHC 结果表明，BMP4 蛋白在哈萨克羊毛皮的表皮和毛根鞘中表达。Noggin 蛋白在哈萨克羊毛皮的表皮、毛根鞘、毛干和真皮乳头中表达。这些结果为进一步研究 BMP4 和 Noggin 在哈萨克羊毛色形成中的关联和机制提供了理论依据。这些结果可能为开发治疗色素沉着障碍和疾病的新方法提供新途径。
