Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2021, Vol. 52 ›› Issue (11): 3224-3233.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2021.011.024

• BASIC VETERINARY MEDICINE • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Histological of Hair Follicles from Different Parts of Skin and Expression of TGF-β2 and HIF-1α in Young Yak (Bos grunniens)

ZHANG Qian1, CUI Yan1,2*, YU Sijiu1,2, LIAO Bo1, ZOU Shengnan1, BAI Xuefeng1, Seth Yaw Afedo1, ZHAO Pengfei1, LONG Min1   

  1. 1. College of Veterinary Medicine, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China;
    2. Technology and Research Center of Gansu Province for Embryonic Engineering of Bovine and Sheep & Goat, Lanzhou 730070, China
  • Received:2021-02-14 Online:2021-11-23 Published:2021-11-24

Abstract: This study was conducted to investigate the histological structure and effects of TGF-β2 and HIF-1α on growth and development of hair follicles in young yaks. Ten healthy young yaks, Skin tissues from their neck, back, breast, abdomen, crus, axilla and scrotum were collected. Paraffin sections were prepared from tissues, stained with HE and Sacpic, and then observed under optical microscope after which representative photomicrographs were taken for analysis. Hair follicles were counted in each part of the skin tissue and categorized as either hairy or less hairy skin. Then qRT-PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry techniques were used to preliminary study TGF-β2 and HIF-1α expression and localization in the hairy or less hairy skin of young yaks. The results showed that hair follicles in the skin of young yaks were distributed in the dermis, often accompanied by sweat glands and sebaceous glands. The structure of hair medulla and inner root sheath was incomplete. Sacpic staining showed the inner root sheath of hair follicles as red, the outer root sheath as pale green, and connective tissue sheath as blue-green. The numbers of hair follicles in the abdominal skin and scrotal skin were (2 085±15)·cm-2 and (158±15)·cm-2 respectively. Immunohistochemistry results showed that TGF-β2 and HIF-1α were mainly distributed in the epidermis, outer root sheath of hair follicle, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands. The mRNA and protein levels of TGF-β2 in scrotum and axillary were significantly higher than those in abdomen and back. The mRNA and protein levels of HIF-1α in the abdomen were significantly higher than those in the other three sites. In conclusion, young yaks’ hair follicles were in the catagen phase. The abdomen had the largest number of hair follicles, followed by the back, and the scrotum, the least. The expression levels of TGF-β2 and HIF-1α were significantly varied in different parts of the skin, which provided a theoretical basis for further study on the effects of TGF-β2 and HIF-1α on hair follicle growth and development in yak skin.

Key words: young yak, hairy skin, less hairy skin, TGF-β2, HIF-1α

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