ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Livestock Genomics
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1571803
Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Cashmere Quality Differences between Jiangnan Cashmere Goats and Changthangi Pashmina Goats
Provisionally accepted
- Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, China
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Cashmere goats are excellent livestock breeds known for producing high-quality cashmere fibers from secondary hair follicles. In this study, we aimed to explore the key RNA molecules responsible for the differences in cashmere quality between Jiangnan Cashmere Goats (JNCG) and Changthangi Pashmina Goats (CPG). Skin transcriptomic data from the anagen, catagen, and telogen stages of hair follicle growth were retrieved from the SRA database for both JNCG and CPG. Bioinformatics analyses were conducted to identify key molecular differences underlying the variation in cashmere fiber quality. The results showed that there were 4,942 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between JNCG and CPG through differential analysis, and the DEGs were mainly enriched in PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Thermogenesis, ECM-receptor interaction in KEGG through functional enrichment analysis, and GO entries were mainly enriched in keratin filament, intermediate filament, keratinization. 24 key candidate genes including IFG1, IGF1R, FGF5, FGF21, ND2, COX2, KRT10, KRT39, KRT74 were further mined through pathways and entries. These genes play an important role in the development of secondary hair follicles and the formation of cashmere quality in cashmere goats, providing a theoretical basis for the genetic improvement of cashmere goats in the future.Jiangnan Cashmere Goat (JNCG) is a newly developed breed, with the male parent being the Liaoning Cashmere Goat and the female parent being the Xinjiang Goat, primarily aimed at increasing cashmere production while maintaining fiber fineness and ensuring post-harvest body
Keywords: Cashmere goats, skin transcriptome, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Thermogenesis, KRTS
Received: 06 Feb 2025; Accepted: 12 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gong, Bi, Liang, Ao, Xu and Sulaiman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Gao Gong, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, China
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