Identification of microRNA-21 target genes associated with hair follicle development in sheep

Bo Zhai; Lichun Zhang; Chunxin Wang; Zhuo Zhao; Mingxin Zhang; Xu Li

doi:10.7717/peerj.7167

Identification of microRNA-21 target genes associated with hair follicle development in sheep

PeerJ. 2019 Jun 27:7:e7167. doi: 10.7717/peerj.7167. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Bo Zhai¹, Lichun Zhang¹, Chunxin Wang¹, Zhuo Zhao¹, Mingxin Zhang¹, Xu Li¹

Affiliation

¹ Jilin Academy of Agricultural Science, Branch of Animal Husbandry, Gongzhuling, China.

Abstract

Aim: The target molecule regulatory function of microRNA-21 (miR-21) in multiple signalling pathways has become a main focus of genetic and pharmacological regulatory studies of various diseases. The identification of target genes for miRNA-21 in the development of hair follicles can provide new research pathways for the regulation of cell development.

Methods: In the present study, eight six-month-old ewes from Super Merino (SM) and Small Tailed Han (STH) sheep breeds were selected. Target prediction and dual-luciferase wild-type and mutant vectors were used to identify the target genes of miR-21. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and bioinformatics analysis were conducted to analyze the effects of miR-21.

Results: The results show that the expressions of CNKSR2, KLF3 and TNPO1 were downregulated by miRNA-21 at rates of 36%, 26% and 48%, respectively. Moreover, there was a significant negative correlation between the expression of miR-21 and the three target genes in sheep with two extreme phenotypes. The expression of microRNA-21in October was significantly lower than that in January and February; while the expression of CNKSR2, KLF3 and TNPO1 in October was higher than that in January and February. Conclusions: These results suggest that CNKSR2, KLF3 and TNPO1 are three newly discovered target genes of miR-21 and might be involved in the effects of miR-21 on hair follicle development.

Keywords: Hair follicles; Sheep; microRNA-21.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program of Jilin Province (CXGC2018ZY009)(C6215000217)(CXGC2017ZY001), Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province of China (20190201174JC), the National Wool Sheep Industry Technical System (CARS-39-17). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.