title: Molecular characterization of HOXC8 gene and methylation status analysis of its exon 1 associated with the length of cashmere fiber in Liaoning cashmere goat.
abstract: Homeobox protein Hox-C8 (HOXC8) is a member of Hox family. It is expressed in the dermal papilla of the skin and is thought to be associated with the hair inductive capacity of dermal papilla cells. In the present study, we isolated and characterized a full-length open reading frame of HOXC8 cDNA from the skin tissue of Liaoning cashmere goat, as well as, established a phylogenetic relationship of goat HOXC8 with that of other species. Also, we investigated the effect of methylation status of HOXC8 exon 1 at anagen secondary hair follicle on the cashmere fiber traits in Liaoning cashmere goat. The sequence analysis indicated that the obtained cDNA was 1134-bp in length containing a complete ORF of 729-bp. It encoded a peptide of 242 amino acid residues in length. The structural analysis indicated that goat HOXC8 contained a typical homeobox domain. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that Capra hircus HOXC8 had a closer genetic relationship with that of Ovis aries, followed by Bos Taurus and Bubalus bubalis. The methylation analysis suggested that the methylation degree of HOXC8 exon 1 in anagen secondary hair follicle might be involved in regulating the growth of cashmere fiber in Liaoning cashmere goat. Our results provide new evidence for understanding the molecular structural and evolutionary characteristics of HOXC8 in Liaoning cashmere goat, as well as, for further insight into the role of methylation degree of HOXC8 exon 1 regulates the growth of cashmere fiber in goat.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Liaoning Province, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Wen L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Liaoning Province, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jiao J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Liaoning Province, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China. yinronghuan@163.com.
authors.forename: Rong H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Liaoning Province, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yun L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Liaoning Province, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ze Y
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Liaoning Province, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yu B
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Liaoning Province, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yu Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Cong
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Liaoning Province, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Husbandry Science of Liaoning Province, Liaoyang, 130062, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Husbandry Science of Liaoning Province, Liaoyang, 130062, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shi Q
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Animal Husbandry Science of Liaoning Province, Liaoyang, 130062, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shu H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis of Liaoning Province, College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, 110866, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hui L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Xue
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018899:CpG Islands; D019175:DNA Methylation; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005091:Exons; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D006041:Goats / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D018398:Homeodomain Proteins
keywords: Genetic evolution; HOXC8 gene; Liaoning cashmere goat; Methylation; Secondary hair follicle