REVIEW article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Livestock Genomics
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1635202
This article is part of the Research TopicGenomic Insights into Sheep and Goat Breeding Efficiency - Volume IIView all articles
Role of miRNA in Cashmere Goat Hair Follicle
Provisionally accepted- 1Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot, China
- 2Key Laboratory of Grass-Feeding Livestock Healthy Breeding and Livestock Product Quality Control (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hohhot, China
- 3Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Herbivore Nutrition Science, Hohhot, China
- 4ENEA Casaccia Department BAS, Secondment at the University of Camerino Industrial Liaison Office, Via Anguillarese 301 S.M. di Galeria, Rome, Italy
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Hair follicle development and cycling are governed by intricate genetic and molecular networks, with microRNAs (miRNAs) playing essential roles as post-transcriptional regulators. In cashmere goats, valued for their fine fiber, miRNAs have emerged as key modulators influencing hair follicle morphogenesis, regeneration, and fiber traits such as fineness and pigmentation. This review highlights recent discoveries in miRNA-mediated regulation of hair follicles, focusing on their dynamic expression patterns and cell-specific functions in keratinocytes, dermal papilla cells, and follicular stem cells. Key miRNAs, including miR-31, miR-22, and miR-214, are explored for their effects on follicle growth, hair shaft formation, and pigment regulation. We discuss advances in single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, revealing new insights into cellular heterogeneity and lineage specification. Integrative multi-omics approaches, combining transcriptomics, proteomics, and epigenomics uncover complex regulatory networks in which miRNAs interact with other non-coding RNAs and signaling pathways. Artificial Intelligence (AI) -driven analytics enhance the discovery of biomarkers and therapeutic targets, offering precision strategies for clinical and livestock applications. miRNA profiling now informs breeding strategies to improve cashmere fiber quality and is a minimally invasive diagnostic tool for hair disorders.We outline future directions, including improved miRNA delivery methods, systems biology integration, and AI-powered multi-omics approaches to deepen our understanding of hair follicle biology and facilitate practical applications in medicine and agriculture.
Keywords: velvet goat, Hair Follicle, miRNA, cashmere, AI-powered multi-omics
Received: 26 May 2025; Accepted: 30 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Le, Shengli, Chula, Bao, Lan, Antonini and Haizhou. 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: Chunhua Zhang, Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot, China
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