Search Results (15)

Liaoning cashmere goat is a unique Chinese cashmere breed, and skin fibroblast proliferation determines hair follicle development and cashmere quality. Melatonin regulates cutaneous cell activity, and lncRNAs function as ceRNA to sponge miRNAs and modulate target genes. Whether melatonin controls fibroblast proliferation through an lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA cascade remains unclear. This study explored how melatonin mediates the LncRNA16913.1-chi-miR-195-5p-FZD6 axis to regulate cashmere goat skin fibroblast proliferation. We constructed gain-of-function and loss-of-function models of LncRNA16913.1 and chi-miR-195-5p. Immunohistochemistry located FZD6 in hair follicles; RT-qPCR, Western blot, CCK-8, EdU and flow cytometry detected gene expression and cell phenotypes. Bioinformatic prediction, dual-luciferase assay, fluorescence in situ hybridization, RNA pull-down and rescue tests verified molecular binding relationships. Melatonin upregulated LncRNA16913.1 and FZD6, yet downregulated chi-miR-195-5p, with FZD6 mainly distributed in hair follicle inner and outer root sheaths. Inhibiting chi-miR-195-5p boosted fibroblast proliferation, restrained apoptosis and accelerated the cell cycle. chi-miR-195-5p directly suppressed FZD6, while cytoplasmic LncRNA16913.1 sequestered this miRNA to recover FZD6 expression. Silencing LncRNA16913.1 eliminated melatonin-mediated FZD6 upregulation. In short, melatonin increased LncRNA16913.1, which sequestered chi-miR-195-5p to release FZD6 and facilitate fibro-blast proliferation. Combined dual-luciferase, bidirectional rescue and cellular phenotypic assays collectively verified the fact that FZD6 acts as the functional downstream target of chi-miR-195-5p to mediate fibroblast proliferation in vitro. Full article

Liaoning cashmere goats is a dual-purpose breed valued for premium cashmere fiber and meat yields, and there is currently a lack of optimized strategies for meat quality, including skeletal muscle development and lipid partitioning. This investigation systematically examines how melatonin administration modulates gastrointestinal microbiota and antioxidant capacity to concurrently enhance skeletal muscle hypertrophy and redirect lipid deposition patterns, ultimately improving meat quality and carcass traits in Liaoning cashmere goats. Thirty female half-sibling kids were randomized into control and melatonin-treated groups (2 mg/kg live weight with subcutaneous implants). Postmortem analyses at 8 months assessed carcass traits, meat quality, muscle histology, plasma metabolites, and gut microbiota (16S rRNA sequencing). Melatonin supplementation decreased visceral adiposity (perirenal, omental, and mesenteric fat depots with a p < 0.05) while inducing muscle fiber hypertrophy (longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and biceps femoris (BF) with p < 0.05). The melatonin-treated group demonstrated elevated postmortem pH₂₄h values, attenuated muscle drip loss, enhanced intramuscular protein deposition, and improved systemic antioxidant status (characterized by increased catalase and glutathione levels with concomitant reduction in malondialdehyde with p < 0.05). Melatonin reshaped gut microbiota, increasing α-diversity (p < 0.05) and enriching beneficial genera (Prevotella, Romboutsia, and Akkermansia), while suppressing lipogenic Desulfovibrio populations, and concomitant with improved intestinal morphology as evidenced by elevated villus height-to-crypt depth ratios. These findings establish that melatonin-mediated gastrointestinal microbiota remodeling drives anabolic muscle protein synthesis while optimizing fat deposition, providing a scientifically grounded strategy to enhance meat quality. Full article

This study was conducted to compare the effects of hydrolysable versus condensed tannins on growth performance, nutrient digestion, and rumen fermentation in goats. A total of 27 Liaoning cashmere goats with similar initial body weights were randomly distributed into three groups: a basal diet, a basal diet +0.5% tannic acid (hydrolysable tannin, HT), or a basal diet +0.5% quebracho tannin (condensed tannin, CT), respectively. Compared to the control group, HT showed a decreased (p < 0.05) feed intake, while CT showed an increased (p < 0.05) feed intake and body weight gain. Digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber did not differ (p > 0.05) among groups. The HT group showed lower pH and acetic acid concentration in the rumen (p < 0.05), while the CT group showed a decrease (p < 0.05) in the abundances of Verrucomicrobia and Methanobrevibacter. Supplementation of CT decreased (p < 0.05) the levels of dihydrouracil, xanthosine, alpha-D-mannose, and L-tryptophan, while HT increased (p < 0.05) these metabolites. In conclusion, this study suggested that responses of ruminal microbiota and metabolite profiles to the type of tannins varied, and CT displayed a more positive effect on the growth performance of goats than HT when supplemented at the same level in the diets. Full article

Methionine (Met) was the first limiting amino acid identified in cashmere goats, and 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butanoic acid isopropyl ester (HMBi) can effectively provide Met and encourage cashmere growth in goats. However, existing studies have primarily centered on the trait of cashmere growth and have not delved into the underlying molecular and physiological mechanisms by which HMBi promotes cashmere growth in goats. In the present study, we combined metabolomic and transcriptomic approaches to reveal the effects of HMBi supplementation and its impact on the gene expressions and metabolic profiles within the skin tissue of Liaoning cashmere goats. A total of 14 female Liaoning cashmere goats were randomly allocated to the control (CON) and HMBi groups. The CON group received a basal diet, and the HMBi group was fed the basal diet plus 1.27% HMBi. Our results show that HMBi supplementation significantly increased (p < 0.05) the cashmere length and decreased the cashmere diameter in the goats. The metabolomics results show that the HMBi supplementation increased (variable importance in projection >1 and p < 0.05) the concentrations of Met, 2-Hydroxy-4-methylthiobutanoic acid (HMB), proline betaine, and 10-hydroxydecanoic acid in the skin tissue of the goats. For HMB degradation and Met cycle-related genes, compared with the CON diets, the HMBi diets elevated (p < 0.05) LDHD, MAT1A, and AHCY by 86.33%, 154.54%, and 147.89% in the skin tissue, respectively. Regarding genes related to cell proliferation and differentiation, the HMBi supplementation increased (p < 0.05) CCND1, CDK4, IVL, and BMP4 by 113.31%, 107.93%, 291.33%, and 186.21%, respectively. The results of the transcriptome evaluation show that the differential expression genes were mainly enriched (p < 0.05) in the Wnt and MAPK signaling pathways. In summary, these findings indicate that the Met cycle, Wnt, and MAPK play important roles in the process of HMBi, promoting cashmere growth in Liaoning cashmere goats. Full article

Liaoning Cashmere Goats are a high-quality dual-purpose breed valued for both their cashmere and meat. They are also a key national genetic resource for the protection of livestock and poultry in China, with their intensive farming model currently taking shape. Leveraging new productivity advantages and reducing labor costs are urgent issues for intensive breeding. Recognizing goatbehavior in large-scale intelligent breeding not only improves health monitoring and saves labor, but also improves welfare standards by providing management insights. Traditional methods of goat behavior detection are inefficient and prone to cause stress in goats. Therefore, the development of a convenient and rapid detection method is crucial for the efficiency and quality improvement of the industry. This study introduces a deep learning-based behavior recognition and online detection system for Liaoning Cashmere Goats. We compared the convergence speed and detection accuracy of the two-stage algorithm Faster R-CNN and the one-stage algorithm YOLO in behavior recognition tasks. YOLOv8n demonstrated superior performance, converging within 50 epochs with an average accuracy of 95.31%, making it a baseline for further improvements. We improved YOLOv8n through dataset expansion, algorithm lightweighting, attention mechanism integration, and loss function optimization. Our improved model achieved the highest detection accuracy of 98.11% compared to other state-of-the-art (SOTA) target detection algorithms. The Liaoning Cashmere Goat Online Behavior Detection System demonstrated real-time detection capabilities, with a relatively low error rate compared to manual video review, and can effectively replace manual labor for online behavior detection. This study introduces detection algorithms and develops the Liaoning Cashmere Goat Online Behavior Detection System, offering an effective solution for intelligent goat management. Full article

Melatonin’s capacity to improve cashmere production and quality in goats is well established, but its underlying mechanisms, particularly those concerning the gastrointestinal microbiome, remain inadequately understood. This study aims to elucidate the effects of melatonin implantation on the production performance, blood biochemical parameters, nutrient digestibility, and gastrointestinal microbiome of Liaoning cashmere goats. Thirty newborn Liaoning cashmere goat lambs were selected and randomly assigned to control and melatonin groups using a paired test design. The melatonin group received three melatonin implantations at 15, 75, and 135 days of age, respectively, with a dosage of 2 mg/kg body weight, while the control group received no treatment. Digestive metabolism tests were conducted at 150 and 300 days of age; prior to these tests, blood, rumen fluid, and rectal feces were collected. Apparent nutrient digestibility and blood biochemical indexes were determined, and rumen fluid and rectal feces were analyzed using microbial 16S rRNA sequencing. The results indicated that melatonin significantly reduced daily weight gain and body weight at 60 days (p < 0.05) while significantly increasing daily weight gain at 300 days (p < 0.05). Additionally, it significantly increased cashmere length and reduced its fineness (p < 0.05). Melatonin significantly enhanced nitrogen deposition (p < 0.05), elevated plasma levels of T-AOC, CAT, GSH-PX, and BUN (p < 0.05), and reduced plasma levels of MDA, GOT, GPT, and AKP (p < 0.05). Moreover, melatonin significantly elevated the microbial Ace and Chao1 indices in rectal feces (p < 0.05), increasing genera beneficial for feed digestion and absorption, including Prevotella, Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcus, and Synergistaceae (p < 0.05); the abundance of these beneficial genera were positively correlated with improved cashmere production performance, antioxidant activity, and liver and kidney function. In conclusion, melatonin enhances cashmere production by modulating gastrointestinal microbiota, antioxidant activity, liver and kidney function, and nitrogen metabolism in cashmere goats. This study provides a theoretical foundation for melatonin’s role in microbiota modulation, which is essential for promoting high-quality and sustainable development in the cashmere goat industry. Full article

This study determined the effects of rumen-protected methionine (RPM) supplementation on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen (N) utilisation and plasma amino acid profiles of Liaoning cashmere goats during cashmere fibre growth. Twenty-four yearling male cashmere goats (body weight: 35.41 ± 1.13 kg) were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments: a corn–soybean meal basal diet deficient in methionine (negative control, NC) and a basal diet supplemented with 1, 2 and 3 g/kg of RPM. The RPM supplementation quadratically increased the average daily gain (ADG) and decreased the feed to gain ratio (p = 0.001) without affecting the final body weight and dry matter intake. In particular, compared to NC, 2 g/kg RPM supplementation increased the ADG by 35 g/d (p < 0.001) and resulted in the lowest feed to gain ratio (p < 0.001). RPM increased the apparent total tract digestibility of N and decreased the faecal N levels, both in a linear fashion (p = 0.005). Urinary N levels did not have an effect, but the N retention levels increased linearly with PRM (p = 0.032). Moreover, the RPM decreased the plasma urea N levels (p < 0.001) and increased the plasma Met levels quadratically (p < 0.001). In conclusion, RPM supplementation in the diet of cashmere goats can enhance the utilisation of N and improve ADG during the cashmere fibre growing period, and 2 g/kg of RPM in the diet is suggested. Full article

microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the regulation of biological phenomena by down-regulating the expression of mRNAs. In this study, Liaoning cashmere (LC) goats (n = 6) and Ziwuling black (ZB) goats (n = 6) with different cashmere fiber production performances were selected. We supposed that miRNAs are responsible for the cashmere fiber trait differences. To test the hypothesis, the expression profiles of miRNAs from the skin tissue of the two caprine breeds were compared using small RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). A total of 1293 miRNAs were expressed in the caprine skin samples, including 399 known caprine miRNAs, 691 known species-conserved miRNAs, and 203 novel miRNAs. Compared with ZB goats, 112 up-regulated miRNAs, and 32 down-regulated miRNAs were found in LC goats. The target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs were remarkably concentrated on some terms and pathways associated with cashmere fiber performance, including binding, cell, cellular protein modification process, and Wnt, Notch, and MAPK signaling pathways. The miRNA-mRNA interaction network found that 14 miRNAs selected may contribute to cashmere fiber traits regulation by targeting functional genes associated with hair follicle activities. The results have reinforced others leading to a solid foundation for further investigation of the influences of individual miRNAs on cashmere fiber traits in cashmere goats. Full article

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a kind of non-coding RNA being >200 nucleotides in length, and they are found to participate in hair follicle growth and development and wool fiber traits regulation. However, there are limited studies reporting the role of lncRNAs in cashmere fiber production in cashmere goats. In this study, Liaoning cashmere (LC) goats (n = 6) and Ziwuling black (ZB) goats (n = 6) with remarkable divergences in cashmere yield, cashmere fiber diameter, and cashmere color were selected for the construction of expression profiles of lncRNAs in skin tissue using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). According to our previous report about the expression profiles of mRNAs originated from the same skin tissue as those used in the study, the cis and trans target genes of differentially expressed lncRNAs between the two caprine breeds were screened, resulting in a lncRNA–mRNA network. A total of 129 lncRNAs were differentially expressed in caprine skin tissue samples between LC goats and ZB goats. The presence of 2 cis target genes and 48 trans target genes for the differentially expressed lncRNAs resulted in 2 lncRNA-cis target gene pairs and 93 lncRNA-trans target gene pairs. The target genes concentrated on signaling pathways that were related to fiber follicle development, cashmere fiber diameter, and cashmere fiber color, including PPAR signaling pathway, metabolic pathways, fatty acid metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, tyrosine metabolism, and melanogenesis. A lncRNA–mRNA network revealed 22 lncRNA-trans target gene pairs for seven differentially expressed lncRNAs selected, of which 13 trans target genes contributed to regulation of cashmere fiber diameter, while nine trans target genes were responsible for cashmere fiber color. This study brings a clear explanation about the influences of lncRNAs over cashmere fiber traits in cashmere goats. Full article

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a type of non-coding RNA generated from back-splicing the reactions of linear RNA. It plays an important role in various cellular and biological processes. However, there are few studies about the regulatory effect of circRNAs on cashmere fiber traits in cashmere goats. In this study, the expression profiles of circRNAs in skin tissue were compared between Liaoning cashmere (LC) goats and Ziwuling black (ZB) goats, with a significant difference in cashmere fiber yield, cashmere fiber diameter, and cashmere fiber color, using RNA-seq. A total of 11,613 circRNAs were expressed in the caprine skin tissue, and their type, chromosomal distribution, and length distribution were characterized. A total of 115 up-regulated circRNAs and 146 down-regulated circRNAs in LC goats were screened compared to ZB goats. The authenticity of 10 differentially expressed circRNAs was validated by detecting their expression levels and the head-to-tail splice junction using RT-PCR and DNA sequencing, respectively. The parent genes of differentially expressed circRNA were mainly enriched in some Gene Ontology (GO) terms and pathways related to cashmere fiber traits, such as the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, which is involved in the regulation of cell promotion, stem cell proliferation, Wnt signaling pathway regulation, epithelial morphogenesis, MAPK signaling pathway, and cell adhesion molecules pathway. Eight differentially expressed circRNAs were further selected to construct a circRNA-miRNA network, and some miRNAs that were previously reported as related to fiber traits were found in the network. This study provides a deep understanding of the roles of circRNAs in the regulation of cashmere fiber traits in cashmere goats and the involvement of differential splicing in phenotypic expression according to breed and region. Full article

In our previous study, microRNA (miR)-381 was found to be the most down-regulated miRNA in skeletal muscle of Liaoning cashmere goats with higher skeletal muscle mass, but the molecular mechanism involved remains unclear. In this study, primary caprine skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs) were isolated and identified. We investigated the effect of miR-381 on the viability, proliferation and differentiation of caprine SMSCs, and the target relationships of miR-381 with jagged canonical Notch ligand 2 (JAG2) and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). Cells isolated were positive for SMSC-specific marker protein Pax7. This suggests that purified SMSCs were obtained. The expression level of miR-381 achieved a peak value on day 4 after SMSC differentiation, and miR-381 also significantly increased the expression levels of myogenic differentiation marker genes: myosin heavy chain (MyHC), myogenin (MyoG) and myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C) in differentiated SMSCs, the area of MyHC-positive myotubes and the myogenic index. These findings suggest that miR-381 promoted myogenic differentiation of caprine SMSCs. The CCK8 assay and EDU staining analysis showed that miR-381 mimic both inhibited the viability of SMSCs and decreased the percentage of EDU-labeled positive SMSCs. In contrast, miR-381 inhibitor had the opposite effect with miR-381 mimic. A dual luciferase reporter assay verified that miR-381 can target JAG2 and PTEN by binding to the 3′-untranslated regions (3′-UTR) of the genes. The transfection of miR-381 mimic into caprine SMSCs resulted in decreases in expression levels of JAG2 and PTEN, while miR-381 inhibitor increased the two target genes in expression. This is the first study to reveal the biological mechanisms by which miR-381 regulates caprine SMSC activities. Full article

One of the critical elements in evaluating the quality of cashmere is its fineness, but we still know little about how it is regulated at the metabolic level. In this paper, we use UHPLC–MS/MS detection and analysis technology to compare the difference in metabolites between coarse cashmere (CT_LCG) and fine cashmere (FT_LCG) skin of Liaoning cashmere goats. According to the data, under positive mode four metabolites were significantly up-regulated and seven were significantly down-regulated. In negative mode, seven metabolites were significantly up-regulated and fourteen metabolites were significantly down-regulated. The two groups’ most significant metabolites, Gly–Phe and taurochenodeoxycholate, may be crucial in controlling cashmere’s growth, development, and fineness. In addition, we enriched six KEGG pathways, of which cholesterol metabolism, primary bile acid biosynthesis, and bile secretion were enriched in positive and negative modes. These findings offer a new research idea for further study into the critical elements influencing cashmere’s fineness. Full article

Liaoning cashmere goat is a well-known local cashmere goat breed in China and even in the world. It is famous for producing cashmere with superior quality and high yield. Cashmere yield, body measurements, and body weight are the primary indicators of cashmere goat breeding, but the correlation between them is not yet clear. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between certain body measurements, body weight, and cashmere yield in Liaoning cashmere goats using stepwise and factor score analyses in a multiple regression analysis. For this purpose, the body measurements (body slanting length (BSL), body height (BH), chest circumference (CC), pipe circumference (PC), chest depth (CD), chest width (CW), hip breadth (HB), body weight (BW) and cashmere yield (CY)) of 200 (2-year-old) Liaoning cashmere goats were collected. Stepwise analysis of the results showed that body weight had the greatest direct effect on cashmere yield, followed by hip breadth, while chest circumference mainly affected cashmere yield indirectly. The results of factor score analysis showed that the independent variable can be represented by two factors, which explained 49.596% and 12.095% of the total variance, respectively. The factor scores used in the regression analysis explained 75.8% of the total variance in Liaoning cashmere yield. The above studies show that the growth traits of Liaoning cashmere goats are closely related to the cashmere yield. Growth traits should be considered important factors in breed selection, germplasm identification, and rearing. Full article

Inner Mongolia and Liaoning cashmere goats in China are well-known for their cashmere quality and yield. Thus, they are great models for identifying genomic regions associated with cashmere traits. Herein, 53 Inner Mongolia cashmere goats, Liaoning cashmere goats and Huanghuai goats were genotyped, and 53,347 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were produced using the Illumina Caprine 50K SNP chip. Additionally, we identified some positively selected SNPs by analyzing Fst and XP-EHH. The top 5% of SNPs had selection signatures. After gene annotation, 222 and 173 candidate genes were identified in Inner Mongolia and Liaoning cashmere goats, respectively. Several genes were related to hair follicle development, such as TRPS1, WDR74, LRRC14, SPTLC3, IGF1R, PADI2, FOXP1, WNT10A and CSN3. Gene enrichment analysis of these cashmere trait-associated genes related 67 enriched signaling pathways that mainly participate in hair follicle development and stem cell pluripotency regulation. Furthermore, we identified 20 overlapping genes that were selected in both cashmere goat breeds. Among these overlapping genes, WNT10A and CSN3, which are associated with hair follicle development, are potentially involved in cashmere production. These findings may improve molecular breeding of cashmere goats in the future. Full article

Animal growth and development are regulated by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). However, the functions of lncRNAs in regulating cashmere fineness are poorly understood. To identify the key lncRNAs that are related to cashmere fineness in skin, we have collected skin samples of Liaoning cashmere goats (LCG) and Inner Mongolia cashmere goats (MCG) in the anagen phase, and have performed RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) approach on these samples. The high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analyses identified 437 novel lncRNAs, including 93 differentially expressed lncRNAs. We also identified 3084 differentially expressed messenger RNAs (mRNAs) out of 27,947 mRNAs. Gene ontology (GO) analyses of lncRNAs and target genes in cis show a predominant enrichment of targets that are related to intermediate filament and intermediate filament cytoskeleton. According to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, sphingolipid metabolism is a significant pathway for lncRNA targets. In addition, this is the first report to reveal the possible lncRNA–mRNA regulatory network for cashmere fineness in cashmere goats. We also found that lncRNA XLOC_008679 and its target gene, KRT35, may be related to cashmere fineness in the anagen phase. The characterization and expression analyses of lncRNAs will facilitate future studies on the potential value of fiber development in LCG. Full article