Transcriptome Analysis of Improved Wool Production in Skin-Specific Transgenic Sheep Overexpressing Ovine β-Catenin

In the 2019 study, 9 out of 62 lambs born were confirmed to be transgenic sheep with overexpressed ovine β-catenin, which resulted in a 26.49% increase in clean fleece weight compared to nontransgenic siblings. The transgenic sheep also showed higher wool follicle density, although wool length and diameter were similar to nontransgenic sheep. Transcriptome analysis identified 113 differentially expressed genes, including upregulation of 11 keratin protein genes and β-catenin target genes, suggesting active Wnt pathway signaling. The study concluded that overexpression of β-catenin enhances wool production by increasing wool follicle density and altering distribution, providing a new model for studying wool follicle development and the Wnt pathway. Further research is needed to understand the specific mechanisms of β-catenin in hair follicle development.