Using WGCNA to Identify Hub Genes of Skin Hair Follicle Development in Fetal Stage of Inner Mongolia Cashmere Goat

December 2020 in “ PloS one ”

Zhihong Wu, Erhan Hai, Zhengyang Di, Rong Ma, Fangzheng Shang, Yu Wang, Min Wang, Lili Liang, Youjun Rong, Jianfeng Pan, Wenbin Wu, Rui Su, Zhiying Wang, Ruijun Wang, Yanjun Zhang, Jinquan Li

WGCNA weighted gene co-expression network analysis gene modules mature skin follicles hub genes Gene Ontology GO Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes KEGG WNT10A quantitative polymerase chain reaction qPCR gene network analysis skin follicles gene enrichment analysis gene expression analysis

TLDR Researchers found WNT10A to be a key gene in developing goat hair follicles.

The study used weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify key hub genes involved in the development of skin hair follicles in fetal Inner Mongolian cashmere goats. By analyzing transcriptome data from fetal days 45–135, the researchers identified 10 gene modules, with one module containing 3,166 genes highly expressed in mature skin follicles. From this module, 584 candidate hub genes were identified, with WNT10A highlighted as a critical gene. The findings, validated through quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), provided insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying hair follicle development, potentially informing breeding strategies for improved cashmere production.

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