Effect of Fibroblast Growth Factor 10 and an Interacting Non-Coding RNA on Secondary Hair Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells in Cashmere Goats’ Follicle Development Assessed by Whole-Transcriptome Sequencing Technology

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Cashmere goats are one of the most important animal breeds in northern China. Cashmere is characterised by good quality and high yield and represents an excellent textile material. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the development of cashmere hair follicles is poorly understood, which limits the further development of the cashmere industry. Here, we used whole-transcriptome sequencing to analyse goat embryonic skin samples and carried out experimental verification. We found that fibroblast growth factor 10 and the interacting non-coding RNA miR-184 play important roles in dermal papilla cells of cashmere goat secondary hair follicles. This discovery not only further improves the theoretical understanding of the development of cashmere wool follicles but also has significant implications for functional research on fibroblast growth factor 10 and miR-184. ABSTRACT: Cashmere, a keratinised product of secondary hair follicles (SHFs) in cashmere goats, holds an important place in international high-end textiles. However, research on the complex molecular and signal regulation during the development and growth of hair follicles (HFs), which is essential for the development of the cashmere industry, is limited. Moreover, increasing evidence indicates that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) participate in HF development. Herein, we systematically investigated a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network mediated by circular RNAs (circRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs), and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in skin samples of cashmere goat embryos, using whole-transcriptome sequencing technology. We obtained 6468, 394, and 239 significantly differentially expressed mRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs, respectively. These identified RNAs were further used to construct a ceRNA regulatory network, mediated by circRNAs, for cashmere goats at a late stage of HF development. Among the molecular species identified, miR-184 and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 10 exhibited competitive targeted interactions. In secondary HF dermal papilla cells (SHF-DPCs), miR-184 promotes proliferation, inhibits apoptosis, and alters the cell cycle via the competitive release of FGF10. This study reports that FGF10 and its interaction with ncRNAs significantly affect SHF-DPCs, providing a reference for research on the biology of HFs in cashmere goats and other mammals.