Localization of myosin and actin in the pelage and whisker hair follicles of rat

Integrated Analysis of Methylome and Transcriptome Changes Reveals the Underlying Regulatory Signatures Driving Curly Wool Transformation in Chinese Zhongwei Goats

The Zhongwei goat is kept primarily for its beautiful white, curly pelt that appears when the kid is approximately 1 month old; however, this representative phenotype often changes to a less curly phenotype during postnatal development in a process that may be mediated by multiple molecular signals. DNA methylation plays important roles in mammalian cellular processes and is essential for the initiation of hair follicle (HF) development. Here, we sought to investigate the effects of genome-wide DNA methylation by combining expression profiles of the underlying curly fleece dynamics. Genome-wide DNA methylation maps and transcriptomes of skin tissues collected from 45- to 108-day-old goats were used for whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) and RNA sequencing, respectively. Between the two developmental stages, 1,250 of 3,379 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were annotated in differentially methylated genes (DMGs), and these regions were mainly related to intercellular communication and the cytoskeleton. Integrated analysis of the methylome and transcriptome data led to the identification of 14 overlapping genes that encode crucial factors for wool fiber development through epigenetic mechanisms. Furthermore, a functional study using human hair inner root sheath cells (HHIRSCs) revealed that, one of the overlapping genes, platelet-derived growth factor C (PDGFC) had a significant effect on the messenger RNA expression of several key HF-related genes that promote cell migration and proliferation. Our study presents an unprecedented analysis that was used to explore the enigma of fleece morphological changes by combining methylome maps and transcriptional expression, and these data revealed stage-specific epigenetic changes that potentially affect fiber development. Furthermore, our functional study highlights a possible role for the overlapping gene PDGFC in HF cell growth, which may be a predictable biomarker for fur goat selection.

Development of Hair Fibres

The growth of hairs occurs during the anagen phase of the follicle cycle. Hair growth begins with basement membrane-bound stem cells (mother cells) around the dermal papilla neck which continuously bud off daughter cells which further divide as a transient amplifying population. Division ceases as cell line differentiation begins, which entails changes in cell junctions, cell shape and position, and cell-line specific cytoplasmic expression of keratin and trichohyalin. As the differentiating cells migrate up the bulb, nuclear function ceases in cortex, cuticle and inner root sheath (IRS) layers. Past the top of the bulb, cell shape/position changes cease, and there is a period of keratin and keratin-associated protein (KAP) synthesis in fibre cell lines, with increases, in particular of KAP species. A gradual keratinization process begins in the cortex at this point and then non-keratin cell components are increasingly broken down. Terminal cornification, or hardening, is associated with water loss and precipitation of keratin. In the upper follicle, the hair, now in its mature form, detaches from the IRS, which is then extracted of material and becomes fragmented to release the fibre. Finally, the sebaceous and sudoriferous (if present) glands coat the fibre in lipid-rich material and the fibre emerges from the skin. This chapter follows the origin of the hair growth in the lower bulb and traces the development of the various cell lines.

Localizations of γ-Actins in Skin, Hair, Vibrissa, Arrector Pili Muscle and Other Hair Appendages of Developing Rats

Six isoforms of actins encoded by different genes have been identified in mammals including α-cardiac, α-skeletal, α-smooth muscle (α-SMA), β-cytoplasmic, γ-smooth muscle (γ-SMA), and γ-cytoplasmic actins (γ-CYA). In a previous study we showed the localization of α-SMA and other cytoskeletal proteins in the hairs and their appendages of developing rats (Morioka K., et al. (2011) Acta Histochem. Cytochem. 44, 141–153), and herein we determined the localization of γ type actins in the same tissues and organs by immunohistochemical staining. Our results indicate that the expression of γ-SMA and γ-CYA is suggested to be poor in actively proliferating tissues such as the basal layer of the epidermis and the hair matrix in the hair bulb, and as well as in highly keratinized tissues such as the hair cortex and hair cuticle. In contrast, the expression of γ-actins were high in the spinous layer, granular layer, hair shaft, and inner root sheath, during their active differentiations. In particular, the localization of γ-SMA was very similar to that of α-SMA. It was located not only in the arrector pili muscles and muscles in the dermis, but also in the dermal sheath and in a limited area of the outer root sheath in both the hair and vibrissal follicles. The γ-CYA was suggested to be co-localized with γ-SMA in the dermal sheath, outer root sheath, and arrector pili muscles. Sparsely distributed dermal cells expressed both types of γ-actin. The expression of γ-actins is suggested to undergo dynamic changes according to the proliferation and differentiation of the skin and hair-related cells.

Steady and temporary expressions of smooth muscle actin in hair, vibrissa, arrector pili muscle, and other hair appendages of developing rats

The hair erection muscle, arrector pili, is a kind of smooth muscle located in the mammalian dermis. The immunohistochemical study using an antibody against smooth muscle alpha actin (SMA) showed that the arrector pili muscle develops approximately 1–2 weeks after birth in dorsal and ventral skin, but thereafter they degenerate. The arrector pili muscle was not detected in the mystacial pad during any stage of development, even in the neighboring pelage-type hair follicle. A strong signal of SMA in the skin was located in the dermal sheath as well as in some outer root sheath cells in the hair and vibrissal follicles. Positive areas in the dermal and outer root sheaths were restricted to a lower moiety, particularly areas of similar height, where keratinization of the hair shaft occurs. This rule is valid for both pelage hair follicles and vibrissal follicles. At medium heights of the follicle, SMA staining in the dermal sheath was patchy and distant from the boundary between dermis and epidermis. In contrast to SMA, vimentin was expressed over the entire height of the dermal sheath. Unlike the arrector pili muscle, the expression of SMA in the dermal sheath was observed during fetal, neonatal, and adult stages. The presence of actin-myosin and vimentin fibers in supporting cells is thought to be beneficial for the hair follicle to cope with the movement of the hair shaft, which may be caused by physical contacts with outside materials or by the contraction of internal muscles.