CircRNA-0100 positively regulates the differentiation of cashmere goat SHF-SCs into hair follicle lineage via sequestering miR-153-3p to heighten the KLF5 expression

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have stable structures, being a covalently closed loop without 5 [Formula: see text] and 3 [Formula: see text] free ends. They can function as “miRNA sponges” in regulating the expression of their target genes. It was thought that circRNAs are involved in the development of the secondary hair follicle (SHF) in cashmere goats. In our previous investigation, a new circRNA named circRNA-0100 was identified from the SHF of cashmere goats, but its function is unknown. In this work, we found that circRNA-0100 exhibited significantly higher expression at anagen SHF bulge than its counterpart at telogen in cashmere goats. Based on the use of both overexpression and siRNA interference assays, our data indicated that circRNA-0100 promoted the differentiation of cashmere goat SHF stem cells (SHF-SCs) into hair follicle lineage, which was evaluated by analyzing the transcriptional level changes of six indicator genes in SHF-SCs of cashmere goats. Using the RNA pull-down technique, we showed that circRNA-0100 served as “molecular sponges” of miR-153-3p in SHF-SCs. Through the use of dual-luciferase reporter assays, our data indicated that circRNA-0100 positively regulated the transcriptional expression of the KLF5 gene via the miR-153-3p-mediated pathway. Ultimately, we showed that circRNA-0100 promoted the differentiation of SHF-SCs into hair lineage, which might be achieved via sequestering miR-153-3p to heighten the KLF5 expression in SHF-SCs of cashmere goats. Our results provide novel scientific evidence for revealing the potential molecular regulatory mechanisms on the differentiation of SHF-SCs into hair lineage in cashmere goats.