LncRNA在哺乳动物毛囊发育调控中的研究进展

长链非编码RNA(long non-coding RNA,lncRNA)是一类长度超过200 nt,本身不具编码能力的真核转录本,是基因编码蛋白的关键调节器,在转录水平和转录后水平调节基因的表达,广泛分布于动植物基因组中,作为一类重要的调节因子参与生命发育周期、细胞分化及疾病相关的一些生物学过程。目前,已有一些与皮肤生物学相关lncRNA的报道,但其在皮肤毛囊发育和毛发纤维中的功能及作用机制鲜有报道。近年来,新一代测序技术和芯片技术的结合为lncRNA的鉴定提供了更加有效和快速的途径。研究表明,部分lncRNA对皮肤毛囊细胞的增殖、分化及真皮乳头的形成具有一定影响,其相关靶基因参与调控毛囊的周期性生长。结合近期研究进展就lncRNA对毛囊生长发育的调控作用进行了综述,旨在为后续研究哺乳动物毛囊生长发育相关lncRNA的作用及调控机制奠定理论基础。     

MicroRNA对皮肤毛囊发育的调控机制

MicroRNA是参与转录后水平表达调控的重要因子, 在病理上成为药物作用的潜在靶点, 在生理上成为表型调控的潜在位点。目前, 对于microRNA的功能已有一定了解, 但其在皮肤毛囊发育中的作用机制还不完全清楚。近年来, 高通量测序技术为microRNA的鉴定提供了更准确、快速的途径, 研究发现一些microRNA能够影响皮肤毛囊细胞的分化和增殖, 其相关靶基因在调控毛囊周期性生长的过程中充当重要角色。文章综述了近年来microRNA在皮肤毛囊生长发育调控机制研究领域所取得的成果, 以期为后续开展绒山羊毛囊生长相关microRNA作用机制研究提供借鉴。     

青年羊驼耳部和背部皮肤组织中miRNA差异表达研究

羊驼是毛用型经济动物,其耳部和背部的毛发品质和生长速度存在差异.MicroRNA(miRNA)是新发现的一类在转录后水平调控基因表达的非编码RNA分子,为比较miRNA在羊驼耳部和背部皮肤的表达差异,从而探讨miRNA在羊驼皮肤和毛囊发育过程中的调控作用,本实验提取羊驼皮肤总RNA,制备了羊驼皮肤miRNA芯片,通过与Affymetrix多物种miRNA芯片跨物种杂交对耳部和背部皮肤的miRNA进行筛选,并通过实时荧光定量PCR进行了验证,同时利用在线生物信息软件预测miRNA靶基因.结果显示,羊驼耳部和背部皮肤中高表达差异2倍以上的miRNA有39个,实时荧光定量PCR检测let-7b和miR-24在2个部位皮肤中的差异表达量与miRNA基因芯片结果一致;预测到let-7b和miR-24的靶基因中包含有与毛囊生长发育和毛发品质相关的基因,提示这些miRNA可能参与羊驼皮肤和毛囊的生长发育、更新以及毛发品质的调控.     

Wnt通路中的部分基因在绒山羊胚胎皮肤毛囊中的表达分析

已知绒山羊毛囊的发育受Wnt等信号通路控制,但Wnt通路相关基因在绒山羊胚胎毛囊启动和生长发育过程中的表达及作用机制尚不清楚。本文采用RNA-Seq技术对45 d,55 d和65 d的绒山羊胚胎体侧皮肤进行了转录组测序,鉴定Wnt通路相关基因的表达。 RNA- Seq技术结合blast搜索,将转录组有效测序数据与云南黑山羊参考基因组序列(http://goat. kiz.ac. cn/GGD/download.htm)比对,获得了已知的Wnt通路（pathway hsa04310）中的123个相关基因（86.0%）。进而采用实时荧光定量PCR技术检测,验证了差异表达的Sfrp4、Wnt3、Wnt10a（上调）和Apc2（下调）基因在绒山羊胚胎不同时期皮肤中的表达量,初步探索了绒山羊毛囊在胚胎期启动、发育过程中,Wnt通路部分基因的表达模式,为进一步研究Wnt通路部分基因在绒山羊胚胎毛囊启动、发育过程中的作用机制提供了有意义的线索。     

转录组学测序技术应用与市场分析

转录组学是功能基因组学研究的重要组成部分,是一门在整体水平研究基因功能以及基因结构,揭示基因转录、转录调控规律以及疾病发生过程中的分子机理的学科。随着分子生物学技术、高通量技术的高速发展,转录组学测序技术已逐渐成为转录组学研究中不可或缺的研究手段。从应用和市场两个角度,对转录组学的现状和未来趋势进行调研,为我国转录组学测序技术产业的发展及相关政策的制定提供参考。     

MicroRNAs对动物皮肤和毛发发育调控作用的研究进展

MicroRNAs是近年来发现的一类由19-25个核苷酸组成的非编码单链小RNA分子,它们通过与靶基因mRNA3’UTR结合抑制靶基因的翻译,在转录后水平调控基因表达.MicroRNAs参与了包括细胞分化、增殖和凋亡及免疫系统应答在内的一系列发育调控和生物学过程.最近研究发现MicroRNAs在多种哺乳动物皮肤中均表达,并参与了哺乳动物皮肤及毛发发育的调控过程,这些都为研究这个新颖的调控因子在干细胞生物学和发育生物学中的功能奠定了基础.本文综述了近年来MicroRNAs对哺乳动物皮肤和毛发发育调控作用的研究状况.     

转录组测序技术在整合网络调控中的应用现状及前景

2005年以来,以454焦磷酸测序技术、Solexa边合成边测序技术和SOLiD连续连接合成测序技术为标志的新一代测序技术相继诞生,使得全转录组商业化测序成为可能.针对转录因子与基因、转录因子与miRNA、以及miRNA与基因所构成的整合调控网络,转录组测序技术以高通量、高分辨率、高精度和价格低廉等优势发挥着巨大的作用.从miRNA与蛋白编码基因等层次分别介绍了转录组测序技术在基础研究、临床研究等领域的应用现状及发展前景.     

下一代测序技术在干细胞转录调控研究中的应用

基因转录调控及其机制分析是后基因组时代生物学研究的重点之一。随着高通量测序技术的发展,人们可以从不同层面研究基因的转录调控行为,从转录组、转录因子结合,到染色质局部结构和整体空间构象,可系统分析转录调控的分子机制。干细胞分化过程的转录调控分析对研究再生医学和理解细胞癌变机制等具有重要意义。本文综述了下一代测序技术在干细胞转录调控研究中的应用,包括：(1)基于基因芯片或RNA测序的转录组分析;(2)基于染色体免疫共沉淀(chromatin immunoprecipitation, ChIP)测序的表观基因组和转录因子结合信息的分析;(3)基于DNase 酶切测序(DNase-Seq)的染色质开放性分析;(4)基于高通量染色质构象捕获(high-throughput chromosome conformation capture, Hi-C)技术的染色体远程相互作用分析。从基因表达谱、转录因子结合和基因组三维结构等层面展开介绍,重点关注了一些多能性转录因子(Oct4、Sox2和Nanog等)在维持干细胞干性和分化中的调控作用,以期为干细胞转录调控的研究提供借鉴和参考。     

MicroRNAs在动物皮肤和毛发发育中的调控作用

MicroRNAs(miRNAs)是近年来发现的一类由19～25个核苷酸组成的非编码单链小RNA分子,它们通过与靶基因mRNA的3′非编码区相互配对结合,在转录后水平负调控靶基因的表达.miRNA参与了包括细胞增殖、分化和凋亡及免疫系统应答在内的一系列发育调控和生物学过程.最近几年研究发现,miRNA在多种哺乳动物皮肤中均表达,并参与了哺乳动物皮肤及毛发发育的调控过程.本文综述了近几年来miRNA在各种动物皮肤及毛发发育中的表达谱以及miRNA在皮肤形态发生中的重要作用.     

利用CRISPR/Cas9系统构建FGF21基因敲除小鼠模型

成纤维细胞生长因子(fibroblast growth factors, FGFs)是细胞间的多功能信号分子,调节生物体的多种生理功能。FGF21作为一种重要的调控因子,对毛囊发育及生长周期具有重要作用。为研究FGF21基因对毛囊发育及生长周期的影响及作用机制,本研究通过构建靶向敲除FGF21基因的载体,体外将Cas9 mRNA和gRNA显微注射到FVB小鼠受精卵中,在小鼠FGF21基因的第1外显子上造成移码突变,从而获得FGF21基因敲除(knock out, KO)小鼠。通过测序鉴定F₀代小鼠基因型,共获得3只FGF21等位基因敲除小鼠(Fgf21 ^-/-);qRT-PCR和Western blotting结果表明,在Fgf21 ^-/-小鼠中未检测到FGF21 mRNA表达和FGF21蛋白表达;经脱毛再生及皮肤组织H&E染色发现,与野生型(wild type, WT)小鼠相比,Fgf21 ^-/-小鼠体重降低、器官组织未出现异常变化、毛发生长速度减慢、毛囊的直径和毛发的密度均减小。本研究利用CRISPR/Cas9技术成功构建了Fgf21 ^-/-小鼠模型,为后续研究FGF21基因在毛囊发育及生长周期中的功能提供了更好的动物模型。     

High-throughput sequencing of hair follicle development-related micrornas in cashmere goat at various fetal periods

Inner Mongolia cashmere goat marks a precious gerplasm genetic resource due to its excellent cashmere traits. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to investigate the cashmere development mechanism of cashmere goat and to search for the important cashmere growth-related candidate genes. Fetal skin samples at 10 different periods of cashmere goat were collected in this research. Moreover, high-throughput sequencing was conducted on RNA samples from side skin of cashmere goat fetuses collected at three critical periods of skin hair follicle initiation, growth and development (namely, 45, 55 and 65?days) after balanced mix in line with the previous research results. Meanwhile, 3 samples at corresponding periods were used as the biological duplications. Data regarding microRNA and mRNA expression in skin and hair follicles of cashmere goats at various fetal periods were obtained using the high-throughput sequencing method. The results indicated that microRNAs in the oar-let-7 and oar-miR-200 families in 55?days and 66?days of pregnancy samples had been notably up-regulated relative to those in 45?days of pregnancy samples. This revealed that they might be the critical microRNAs in hair follicle development.     

The role of activins and follistatins in skin and hair follicle development and function

Investigations of the signalling between epithelial and mesenchymal compartments of skin during hair follicle initiation in utero and hair cycling have revealed the importance of the TGFβ superfamily in ectodermal organogenesis and morphogenesis. In particular the activins, their receptors and binding proteins such as follistatin, have been shown to be important regulators of cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis in hair follicle initiation, hair cycling, normal skin homeostasis and wound healing. Transgenic mice lacking various components of the activin signalling pathways display varying ectodermal pathologies including altered pelage hair follicle initiation. This review summarises the activin signal transduction pathways and the interactions between activins and other TGFβ signalling systems during hair follicle formation, hair growth cycling, skin function and wound healing.     

Polyclonal origin and hair induction ability of dermal papillae in neonatal and adult mouse back skin

Hair follicle development and growth are regulated by Wnt signalling and depend on interactions between epidermal cells and a population of fibroblasts at the base of the follicle, known as the dermal papilla (DP). DP cells have a distinct gene expression signature from non-DP dermal fibroblasts. However, their origins are largely unknown. By generating chimeric mice and performing skin reconstitution assays we show that, irrespective of whether DP form during development, are induced by epidermal Wnt activation in adult skin or assemble from disaggregated cells, they are polyclonal in origin. While fibroblast proliferation is necessary for hair follicle formation in skin reconstitution assays, mitotically inhibited cells readily contribute to DP. Although new hair follicles do not usually develop in adult skin, adult dermal fibroblasts are competent to contribute to DP during hair follicle neogenesis, irrespective of whether they originate from skin in the resting or growth phase of the hair cycle or skin with β-catenin-induced ectopic follicles. We propose that during skin reconstitution fibroblasts may be induced to become DP cells by interactions with hair follicle epidermal cells, rather than being derived from a distinct subpopulation of cells.     

De novo formation and ultra-structural characterization of a fiber-producing human hair follicle equivalent in vitro

Across many tissues and organs, the ability to create an organoid, the smallest functional unit of an organ, in vitro is the key both to tissue engineering and preclinical testing regimes. The hair follicle is an organoid that has been much studied based on its ability to grow quickly and to regenerate after trauma. But hair follicle formation in vitro has been elusive. Replacing hair lost due to pattern baldness or more severe alopecia, including that induced by chemotherapy, remains a significant unmet medical need.By carefully analyzing and recapitulating the growth conditions of hair follicle formation, we recreated human hair follicles in tissue culture that were capable of producing hair. Our microfollicles contained all relevant cell types and their structure and orientation resembled in some ways excised hair follicle specimens from human skin. This finding offers a new window onto hair follicle development. Having a robust culture system for hair follicles is an important step towards improved hair regeneration as well as to an understanding of how marketed drugs or drug candidates, including cancer chemotherapy, will affect this important organ.     

Epithelium-mesenchyme interactions control the activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor beta/delta during hair follicle development

Hair follicle morphogenesis depends on a delicate balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis, which involves epithelium-mesenchyme interactions. We show that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor beta/delta (PPARbeta/delta) and Akt1 are highly expressed in follicular keratinocytes throughout hair follicle development. Interestingly, PPARbeta/delta- and Akt1-deficient mice exhibit similar retardation of postnatal hair follicle morphogenesis, particularly at the hair peg stage, revealing a new important function for both factors in the growth of early hair follicles. We demonstrate that a time-regulated activation of the PPARbeta/delta protein in follicular keratinocytes involves the up-regulation of the cyclooxygenase 2 enzyme by a mesenchymal paracrine factor, the hepatocyte growth factor. Subsequent PPARbeta/delta-mediated temporal activation of the antiapoptotic Akt1 pathway in vivo protects keratinocytes from hair pegs against apoptosis, which is required for normal hair follicle development. Together, these results demonstrate that epithelium-mesenchyme interactions in the skin regulate the activity of PPARbeta/delta during hair follicle development via the control of ligand production and provide important new insights into the molecular biology of hair growth.     

Melatonin promotes Cashmere goat (Capra hircus) secondary hair follicle growth: a view from integrated analysis of long non-coding and coding RNAs

The role of melatonin in promoting the yield of Cashmere goat wool has been demonstrated for decades though there remains a lack of knowledge regarding melatonin mediated hair follicle growth. Recent studies have demonstrated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely transcribed in the genome and play ubiquitous roles in regulating biological processes. However, the role of lncRNAs in regulating melatonin mediated hair follicle growth remains unclear. In this study, we established an in vitro Cashmere goat secondary hair follicle culture system, and demonstrated that 500 ng/L melatonin exposure promoted hair follicle fiber growth. Based on long intergenic RNA sequencing, we demonstrated that melatonin promoted hair follicle elongation via regulating genes involved in focal adhesion and extracellular matrix receptor pathways and further cis predicting of lncRNAs targeted genes indicated that melatonin mediated lncRNAs mainly targeted vascular smooth muscle contraction and signaling pathways regulating the pluripotency of stem cells. We proposed that melatonin exposure not only perturbed key signals secreted from hair follicle stem cells to regulate hair follicle development, but also mediated lncRNAs mainly targeted to pathways involved in the microvascular system and extracellular matrix, which constitute the highly orchestrated microenvironment for hair follicle stem cell. Taken together, our findings here provide a profound view of lncRNAs in regulating Cashmere goat hair follicle circadian rhythms and broaden our knowledge on melatonin mediated hair follicle morphological changes.     

Essential roles of BMPR-IA signaling in differentiation and growth of hair follicles and in skin tumorigenesis

Hair differentiation and growth are controlled by complex reciprocal signaling between epithelial and mesenchymal cells. To better understand the requirement and molecular mechanism of BMP signaling in hair follicle development, we performed genetic analyses of bone morphogenetic protein receptor 1A (BMPR-IA) function during hair follicle development by using a conditional knockout approach. The conditional mutation of Bmpr1a in ventral limb ectoderm and its derivatives (epidermis and hair follicles) resulted in a lack of hair outgrowth from the affected skin regions. Mutant hair follicles exhibited abnormal morphology and lacked hair formation and pigment deposition during anagen. The timing of the hair cycle and the proliferation of hair matrix cells were also affected in the mutant follicles. We demonstrate that signaling via epithelial BMPR-IA is required for differentiation of both hair shaft and inner root sheath from hair matrix precursor cells in anagen hair follicles but is dispensable for embryonic hair follicle induction. Surprisingly, aberrant de novo hair follicle morphogenesis together with hair matrix cell hyperplasia was observed in the absence of BMPR-IA signaling within the affected skin of adult mutants. They developed hair follicle tumors from 3 months of age, indicating that inactivation of epidermal BMPR-IA signaling can lead to hair tumor formation. Taken together, our data provide genetic evidence that BMPR-IA signaling plays critical and multiple roles in controlling cell fate decisions or maintenance, proliferation, and differentiation during hair morphogenesis and growth, and implicate Bmpr1a as a tumor suppressor in skin tumorigenesis.     

The TGF-beta2 isoform is both a required and sufficient inducer of murine hair follicle morphogenesis.

Hair follicle development serves as an excellent model to study control of organ morphogenesis. Three specific isoforms of TGF-beta exist which exhibit a distinct pattern of expression during hair follicle morphogenesis. To clarify the still elusive role of these factors in hair follicle development, we have used a combined genetic and functional approach: analysis of hair follicle development in mice with disruptions of the TGF-beta1, 2, and 3 genes was coupled with a direct functional test of the effect of added purified factors on fetal hair follicle development in skin organ cultures. TGF-beta2 null mice exhibited a profound delay of hair follicle morphogenesis, with a 50% reduced number of hair follicles. In contrast to hair follicle development, growth and differentiation of interfollicular keratinocytes proceeded unimpaired. Unlike TGF-beta2-/- mice, mice with a disruption of the TGF-beta1 gene showed slightly advanced hair follicle formation, while lack of the TGF-beta3 gene did not have any effects. Treatment of wild-type, embryonic skin explants (E14.5 or E15.5) with TGF-beta2 protein in either soluble form or slow release beads induced hair follicle development and epidermal hyperplasia, while similar TGF-beta1 treatment exerted suppressive effects. Thus, the TGF-beta2 isoform plays a specific role, not shared by the other TGF-beta isoforms, as an inducer of hair follicle morphogenesis and is both required and sufficient to promote this process.