Gansu Key Laboratory of Herbivorous Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Science and Technology, International Wool Research Institute, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jan 27;25(3):1594. doi: 10.3390/ijms25031594.
Homobox C13 (Hoxc13) is an important transcription factor in hair follicle cycle development, and its deletion had been found in a variety of animals leading to abnormal hair growth and disruption of the hair follicle system. In this study, we used immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR (KASP) genotyping to investigate molecular genetic characteristics of the Hoxc13 gene in Gansu alpine fine-wool sheep. The results revealed that Hoxc13 was significantly expressed during both the anagen and catagen phases ( < 0.05). It was found to be highly expressed predominantly in the dermal papillae and the inner and outer root sheaths, showing a distinct spatiotemporal expression pattern. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the exon 1 of Hoxc13, both the individual locus genotypes and the combined haplotypes were found to be correlated with wool length ( < 0.05). It was determined the mutations led to changes in mRNA expression, in which higher expression of this gene was related with longer wool length. In summary, this unique spatiotemporal expression pattern of the Hoxc13 gene may regulate the wool length of Gansu alpine fine-wool sheep, which can be used as a molecular genetic marker for wool traits and thus improve the breed.
同源盒蛋白 C13（Hoxc13）是毛发生长周期发育过程中的重要转录因子，其缺失已在多种动物中被发现，导致毛发生长异常和毛囊系统破坏。本研究采用免疫荧光、免疫组织化学、实时荧光定量 PCR（RT-qPCR）和 Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR（KASP）基因分型技术，对甘肃高山细毛羊 Hoxc13 基因的分子遗传特征进行了研究。结果表明，Hoxc13 在生长期和退行期均有显著表达（<0.05）。主要在外根鞘、内根鞘和真皮乳头中高表达，表现出明显的时空表达模式。Hoxc13 外显子 1 中的两个单核苷酸多态性（SNP），个体基因座基因型和组合单倍型均与羊毛长度显著相关（<0.05）。结果表明，突变导致 mRNA 表达发生变化，该基因的高表达与较长的羊毛长度有关。综上所述，Hoxc13 基因的这种独特的时空表达模式可能调节甘肃高山细毛羊的羊毛长度，可作为羊毛性状的分子遗传标记，从而改良品种。
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