BackgroundThe growth of Inner Mongolian Cashmere goat skin hair follicle exhibits a periodic growth pattern. The hair growth cycle is distinguished as telogen, anagen, and catagen stages. The role of vimentin in the growth process of hair follicles is evident. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the vimentin activity in the growth cycle of hair follicles, transcriptome sequencing and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry were used to obtain the nucleic acid and amino acid sequences of VIIM gene and vimentin. The amino acid and nucleic acid sequences were analyzed by comparison. Real-time quantitative PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry analyzed the expression level and sites of vimentin in the three growth stages of the Inner Mongolia Cashmere goat skin samples.ResultsVIM gene cDNA, obtained by transcriptome sequencing, was aligned against that of the Capra hircus VIM gene. The amino acid sequence of vimentin revealed a high similarity rate across other species. The expressions of both VIM gene and vimentin were highest during the growth period and lowest in the rest period. Furthermore, vimentin was primarily expressed in the outer root sheath of the hair follicle as assessed by staining.ConclusionsThe sequences of the gene and protein are similar to that of other species and identical to Capra hircus. However, the expression of VIM and vimentin was proportional to that of the growth of hair follicles. And vimentin expressed only in the outer root sheath of hair follicles. Thus, vimentin was speculated to participate in the regulation of the hair follicle growth cycle by affecting the outer root sheath.

It is widely accepted that the periodic cycle of hair follicles is controlled by the biological clock, but the molecular regulatory mechanisms of the hair follicle cycle have not been thoroughly studied. The secondary hair follicle of the cashmere goat is characterized by seasonal periodic changes throughout life. In the hair follicle cycle, the initiation of hair follicles is of great significance for hair follicle regeneration. To provide a reference for hair follicle research, our study compared differences in mRNA expression and microRNA expression during the growth and repose stages of cashmere goat skin samples. Through microRNA and mRNA association analysis, we found microRNAs and target genes that play major regulatory roles in hair follicle initiation. We further constructed an mRNA-microRNA interaction network and found that hair follicle initiation and development were related to MiR-195 and the genes CHP1, SMAD2, FZD6 and SIAH1.

ObjectiveSelenium-independent glutathione peroxidase (GPx5) is specifically expressed in the mammalian epididymis and plays an important role in protecting sperm from reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation damage. This study investigates GPx5 expression in the epididymis of Small Tail Han sheep.MethodsGPx5 expression was studied in three age groups: lamb (2 to 3 months), young (8 to 10 months), and adult (18 to 24 months). The epididymis of each age group divided into caput, corpus and cauda, respectively. Analysis the expression quantity of GPx5 in epididymis and testis by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. Finally, GPx5 protein locating in the epididymis by immunohistochemical.ResultsThe results demonstrate that in the lamb group, the GPx5 mRNA, but not protein, can be detected. GPx5 mRNA and expressed protein were detected in both the young and adult groups. Moreover, both the mRNA and protein levels of GPx5 were significantly higher in the young group than in other two groups. When the different segments of epididymis were investigated, GPx5 mRNA was expressed in each segment of epididymis regardless of age. Additionally, the mRNA level in the caput was significantly higher than that in corpus and cauda within same age group. The GPx5 protein was in the epithelial cells’ cytoplasm. However, GPx5 mRNA and protein were not detected in the testis.ConclusionThese results suggest that GPx5 is mainly expressed in the epididymis of Small Tail Han sheep, and that the expression level of GPx5 is associated with age. Additionally, GPx5 was primarily expressed in the epithelial cells of the caput. Taken together, these studies indicate that GPx5 is expressed in the epididymis in all age grades.

The Inner Mongolia cashmere goat is famous for its bright white cashmere fibre. However, little attention is given to the excellent characteristics of this breed’s meat. We used label-free proteomics to analyse the total protein content in five different muscles, and 1 227 proteins were detected. Through sequential windowed acquisition of all theoretical fragment ions (SWATH), 16, 33, 49, 39, and 31 differentially expressed proteins were successfully detected in the five muscles. Protein–protein interaction network analysis of differentially expressed proteins revealed many strong interactions related to fatty acid beta oxidation and muscle development. Based on SWATH in five muscles, 25 differentially expressed proteins related to muscle development were detected, including seven muscle fibre structural proteins (ACTG2, ACTN4, TAGLN, MYL3, MYL1, MYL6B and MYH4). Finally, immunohistochemical analysis of MYL3 showed that the proportion of MYL3 may be a potential molecular marker for muscle toughness.

Background: As a major raw-cashmere-producing province in China. Nearly 700,000 Aerbasi cashmere goats are fed per year, and the corresponding meat production is nearly 10,000 tons. However, there are no reports on the meat of this goat. To better understand the molecular variations underlying intramuscular fat (IMF) anabolism and catabolism in Inner Mongolian cashmere goats, the proteomic differences between the biceps femoris (BF) and longissimus dorsi (LD) were investigated by a label-free strategy. Then, the identified proteins were verified as being involved in IMF anabolism and catabolism by Western blot analysis.Results: The IMF content was significantly higher in the BF than in the LD, suggesting that IMF accumulated more in the BF or was metabolized more in the LD. We performed proteomic analysis of IMF anabolism and catabolism at the proteomic level, and 1209 proteins were identified in the BF (high-IMF) and LD (low-IMF) groups. Among them, 110 were differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), 81 of which were upregulated in the high-IMF group, while 29 were upregulated in the low-IMF group. Gene ontology (GO) classification showed that the 110 DEPs were functionally classified into 100 annotation clusters. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that the 110 DEPs covered 34 KEGG pathways. Three pathways were related to IMF metabolism and deposition—fatty acid metabolism, fatty acid degradation and fatty acid elongation—and included 7 proteins.Conclusion: GO and KEGG analyses showed that differentially expressed HADHA, HADHB, ACSL1, ACADS, ACAT1 and ACAA2 in the mitochondria act via fatty acid metabolism, fatty acid degradation and fatty acid elongation to influence the metabolism and synthesis of long-, short- and medium-chain fatty acids and modulate IMF anabolism and catabolism. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis showed that IMF accumulation in different muscle tissues of Inner Mongolian cashmere goats was affected not only by 5 key enzymes and proteins involved in fatty acid synthesis and metabolism but also by five DEPs (SUCLG1, SUCLG2, CS, DLST, and ACO2) in the TCA cycle. Our results provide new insights into IMF deposition in goats and improve our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying IMF anabolism and catabolism.