Crosstalk Between Androgen and Wnt/β-Catenin Leads to Changes in Wool Density in FGF5-Knockout Sheep

May 2020 in “ Cell Death and Disease ”

Rui Zhang, Yán Li, Kun Jia, Xueling Xu, Yao Li, Yue Zhao, Xiaosheng Zhang, Jinlong Zhang, Guoshi Liu, Shoulong Deng, Zhengxing Lian

androgen Wnt/β-catenin FGF5 CRISPR/Cas9 hair-follicle density androgenetic alopecia gene expression signaling pathways Wnt signaling FGF5 gene CRISPR hair density male pattern baldness

TLDR Blocking the FGF5 gene in sheep leads to more fine wool and active hair follicles due to changes in certain cell signaling pathways.

The study by Zhang et al. from 2020 used CRISPR/Cas9 to create five FGF5-knockout (KO) Dorper sheep to explore the role of the FGF5 gene in wool production. The KO sheep showed significantly decreased FGF5 mRNA expression levels, dysfunctional FGF5 proteins, and an increase in fine-wool and active hair-follicle density. The research revealed that the interaction between androgen and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways downstream of the FGF5 gene is crucial for these changes. The study also found significant alterations in the expression of various genes and proteins involved in these pathways, suggesting potential therapeutic approaches for conditions like androgenetic alopecia by targeting the FGF5 gene and its downstream signaling.

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