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| Comparative Study on Skin Hair Follicle Structural Characteristics and Expression Patterns of Development-related Proteins in Dorper Sheep (Ovis aries) at Different Hair Follicle Cycle Stages |
| WANG Si-Yu, ZHANG Ning-Yue, WANG Chun-Guang, YANG Fan, JING Bin, LI Xin-Hai* |
| College of Animal Science and Technology, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, China |
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Abstract Spring shedding, as a key factor affecting meat sheep production efficiency and animal welfare, requires research into its regulatory mechanisms to develop novel heat-tolerant, easy-to-manage breeds. This study systematically analyzed the structural characteristics of skin hair follicles and the expression patterns of key regulatory proteins—B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) in different phases (rapid growth, early growth, and resting phase) of Dorper sheep (Ovis aries), a breed with a stable genetic shedding phenotype. This study also examined the expression patterns of Bcl-2 and GCLC in skin hair follicles during different growth phases. Hair follicle morphology exhibited distinct cyclical changes across the 3 growth phases. It was found that hair follicle morphology exhibited obvious periodic changes. Compared with the telogen phase, the depth of secondary hair follicles, hair bulb diameter and hair shaft diameter increased significantly in the anagen phase (P<0.05). Data-independent acquisition (DIA) proteomics and Western blot analysis consistently showed that B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) expression peaked during the active growth phase, followed by the telogen phase, and was the lowest during the early growth phase. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) further revealed that Bcl-2 and GCLC were primarily localized in the hair matrix, outer root sheath, and epidermal layer and exhibited distinct cycle-dependent patterns. Bcl-2 showed high expression in the hair matrix and outer root sheath during the active growth phase, whereas GCLC expression also increased during this phase and decreased during the resting phase (P<0.05). In summary, this study characterized the cyclical structural changes in Dorper sheep hair follicles and the expression and spatial distribution patterns of Bcl-2 and GCLC. These findings provide experimental evidence for deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying seasonal molting and contribute to advancing molecular breeding for developing highly adaptive new sheep breeds.
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Received: 01 December 2025
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| Fund:国家自然科学基金(31960650); 宁夏金凤肉羊科技小院服务能力提升项目 |
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Corresponding Authors:
*zhumei185@163.com
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