Regulation of feather follicle development and Msx2 gene SNP degradation in Hungarian white goose

Abstract

Background Hungarian white goose has excellent down production performance and was introduced to China in 2010. The growth and development of feather follicles has an important impact on down production. Goose feather follicles can be divided into primary and secondary feather follicles, both of which originate in the embryonic stage. Msx2 (Msh Homeobox 2) plays a regulatory role in tissues and organs such as eyes, teeth, bones and skin. However, its regulatory mechanism on goose feather follicles development remains unclear. Results Msx2 gene first increased, then decreased and increased at the end (E13, E18, E23, E28) during embryonic feather follicle development, and the expression level was the highest at E18. The pEGFP-N1-Msx2 overexpression vector and si-Msx2 siRNA vector were constructed to transfect goose embryo dermal fibroblasts. The results showed that the cell viability of ov-Msx2 group was significantly increased, and the gene expression levels of FGF5 and TGF-β1 genes were significantly down-regulated (P < 0.05), the expressions of PCNA, Bcl2, CDK1, FOXN1 and KGF genes were significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05). After transfection of siRNA vector, the cell viability of the si-Msx2 group was significantly decreased (P < 0.01) compared with the si-NC group. TGF-β1 expression was significantly up-regulated (P < 0.05), FGF5 expression was extremely significantly up-regulated (P < 0.01), while PCNA, Bcl2, CDK1, FOXN1 and KGF gene expression was significantly down-regulated (P < 0.05). High-throughput sequencing technology was used to mine the exon SNPs of Msx2. A total of 11 SNP loci were screened, four of the SNPs located in exon 1 were missense mutations. The feather follicle diameter of the GC genotype at the G78C site is significantly larger than that of the other two genotypes. Conclusions Msx2 maybe inhibit the apoptosis of goose dermal fibroblasts and promotes their proliferation. G78C can be used as a potential molecular marker for downy Variety.

Identification of key modules and hub genes involved in regulating the feather follicle development of Wannan chickens using WGCNA

“…With the change of market mode, carcass appearance has been paid more and more attention, and feather follicles are one of the important indicators of carcass appearance. The development of feather follicles is a complex process and is completed during the embryonic period ( Mabrouk, et al, 2022 ; Song, et al, 2022 ; Feng, et al, 2022a ). Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify key modules and key genes that regulate feather follicle development in Wannan chickens by WGCNA.…”

Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms in Chicken Feather Follicle Morphogenesis

“…In poultry, Feng et al reported that a C to G transversion significantly reduced PDSS2 expression during feather development, resulting in a silky feather phenotype [ 79 ]. It was found that for the Msx2 gene, as a downstream target of BMP signaling, its overexpression significantly increased dermal fibroblast proliferation, and the missense mutations of SNPs located in exon 1 significantly increased the feather follicle diameter of newborn geese [ 80 , 81 ]. Chen et al compared the diameter and density of feather follicles at different sites from incubation to the birth of goslings and identified two synonymous mutations of SNP sites in the Wnt6 gene [ 82 ]; however, it is unclear if these two SNP sites are associated with feather follicle density in geese.…”

miR-140-y targets TCF4 to regulate the Wnt signaling pathway and promote embryonic feather follicle development in Hungarian white goose

“…Currently, a diverse range of goose breeds is extensively raised for commercial purposes throughout the country ( Yan et al, 2023 ). The Hungarian white goose is characterized by high down production, domesticated from Anser Anser and was introduced to China in 2010 ( Song et al, 2022 ). Goose down feather is known for its important economic role in the goose industry as an essential material for clothing production.…”

“…Based on preliminary studies conducted by our research team on feather follicles, 5 key developmental stages were selected for this study: Embryonic d 10 ( E10 ), d 13 ( E13 ), d 18 ( E18 ), d 23 ( E23 ) and d 28 ( E28 ), to cover all the important moments of embryonic skin and feather follicles of goose ( Mabrouk et al, 2022 ; Song et al, 2022 ).…”