Research Progress on the Molecular Mechanism of Poultry Feather Follicle Development

August 2025 in “ Current Issues in Molecular Biology ”

Jiangxian Wang, Shiliang Zhu, Xia Xiong, Mohan Qiu, Zengrong Zhang, Chenming Hu, Yang Li, Han Peng, Xiao‐Yan Song, Jialei Chen, Bo Xia, Zhengang Xiong, Longhuan Du, Chunlin Yu, Chaowu Yang

TLDR Key pathways like WNT, EGF, FGF, SHH, and BMP regulate poultry feather growth, with BMP inhibiting it.

The review explores the molecular mechanisms of poultry feather follicle development, focusing on key signalling pathways like WNT, EGF, FGF, SHH, and BMP, with BMP acting as an inhibitor. It highlights the importance of these pathways in feather follicle morphogenesis, particularly the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which is crucial for initiating and patterning feather follicles. The study also examines the impact of genetic modifications, such as CRISPR/Cas9, on feather pigmentation and structure. Understanding these mechanisms is vital for improving poultry appearance and marketability, with advances in transcriptomics, genomics, and epigenomics offering potential for further research and application in biotechnology.

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research Molecular Regulatory Mechanisms in Chicken Feather Follicle Morphogenesis

3 citations , August 2023 in “Genes”

The document concludes that various signaling pathways and genetic factors are crucial for chicken feather development, affecting poultry quality.

research DNA Methylation Mediates LncRNA2919 Regulation of Hair Follicle Regeneration

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DNA methylation controls lncRNA2919, which negatively affects hair growth.

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42 citations , February 2021 in “Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy”

Hair follicle regeneration possible, more research needed.

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2 citations , December 2020 in “Frontiers in genetics”

Researchers found genes linked to feather growth speed in Shouguang chickens, highlighting two genes that might explain differences in feathering.

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4 citations , January 2020 in “Frontiers in Physiology”

Good feather growth in poultry needs the right balance of proteins, amino acids, minerals, and vitamins.

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136 citations , May 2019 in “Cells”

Stem cell therapy, particularly using certain types of cells, shows promise for treating hair loss by stimulating hair growth and development, but more extensive trials are needed to confirm these findings.

Feather Arrays Are Patterned by Interacting Signaling and Cell Density Waves

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85 citations , October 2006 in “Current opinion in cell biology”

Feather growth and regeneration involve complex patterns, stem cells, and evolutionary insights.

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165 citations , December 2004 in “Differentiation”

BMP signaling is crucial for skin and hair growth.

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745 citations , February 1992 in “Trends in genetics”

Hair follicles create different cell layers and proteins, controlled by various molecules.