title: Tβ4-overexpression based on the piggyBac transposon system in cashmere goats alters hair fiber characteristics.
abstract: Increasing cashmere yield is one of the vital aims of cashmere goats breeding. Compared to traditional breeding methods, transgenic technology is more efficient and the piggyBac (PB) transposon system has been widely applied to generate transgenic animals. For the present study, donor fibroblasts were stably transfected via a PB donor vector containing the coding sequence of cashmere goat thymosin beta-4 (Tβ4) and driven by a hair follicle-specific promoter, the keratin-associated protein 6.1 (KAP6.1) promoter. To obtain genetically modified cells as nuclear donors, we co-transfected donor vectors into fetal fibroblasts of cashmere goats. Five transgenic cashmere goats were generated following somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Via determination of the copy numbers and integration sites, the Tβ4 gene was successfully inserted into the goat genome. Histological examination of skin tissue revealed that Tβ4-overexpressing, transgenic goats had a higher secondary to primary hair follicle (S/P) ratio compared to wild type goats. This indicates that Tβ4-overexpressing goats possess increased numbers of secondary hair follicles (SHF). Our results indicate that Tβ4-overexpression in cashmere goats could be a feasible strategy to increase cashmere yield.
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Bingbo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Xiaolin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Cashmere Goats, Yulin, 719000, China.|Life Science Research Center, Yulin University, Yulin, 719000, China.
authors.forename: Haijing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Yiyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Jiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Anming
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Danju
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Cashmere Goats, Yulin, 719000, China.|Life Science Research Center, Yulin University, Yulin, 719000, China.
authors.forename: Hailong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Baohua
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Shaanxi Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center of Cashmere Goats, Yulin, 719000, China. ylqulei@126.com.|Life Science Research Center, Yulin University, Yulin, 719000, China. ylqulei@126.com.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China. chenyulin@nwafu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yulin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006041:Goats / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D007633:Keratins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D053652:Nuclear Transfer Techniques; D012867:Skin / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D013947:Thymosin / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000099201:Thymosin beta(4)
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D007633:Keratins; D013947:Thymosin; D000099201:Thymosin beta(4)
keywords: Cashmere goat; Hair follicle; SCNT; Tβ4-overexpression; piggyBac transposon