Why Pashmina Goat Produces Long Hair-Fiber and Barbari Doesn’t: A Differential Gene Expression Study
March 2021
TLDR Pashmina goats produce long hair-fiber due to specific gene expressions related to hair growth.
The study investigated the differential gene expression between Pashmina and Barbari goats to understand why Pashmina goats produce long hair-fiber (Cashmere) while Barbari goats do not. Using RNA-Seq data, the researchers identified 47,159 normalized expressed transcripts, with 8,414 being differentially expressed. Among these, 4,788 transcripts were upregulated in Pashmina and 3,626 in Barbari. Key genes involved in hair follicle differentiation and keratinization, such as Keratins (KRT) and Keratin Associated Proteins (KRTAPs), were identified. These findings are valuable for enhancing Pashmina fiber quality and could help introduce this trait to other goat breeds.