Acta Veterinaria et Zootechnica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (6): 2724-2732.doi: 10.11843/j.issn.0366-6964.2025.06.017

• Animal Genetics and Breeding • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Cloning Expression and Bioinformatics Analysis of Rabbit MSX2 Gene

HAN Xiaoman(), SUN Shaoning, YANG Jie, SHEN Ning, BAO Zhiyuan, CAI Jiawei, ZHAO Bohao, CHEN Yang, WU Xinsheng*()   

  1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
  • Received:2024-11-08 Online:2025-06-23 Published:2025-06-25
  • Contact: WU Xinsheng E-mail:1069919686@qq.com;xswu@yzu.edu.cn

Abstract:

This study aimed to investigate the regulatory role of Msh-homeobox 2 (MSX2) in the proliferation of dermal papilla cells (DPCs) in long-haired rabbits. Skin samples were collected from the backs of 12 healthy 6-month-old long-haired rabbits, and DPCs were isolated and cultured. The coding sequence (CDS) of the MSX2 gene was cloned, and its biological characteristics were preliminarily analyzed using bioinformatics tools. The effects of MSX2 overexpression and knockdown on DPCs proliferation were explored, along with the regulatory roles of related genes. The results showed that the CDS of the MSX2 gene was 807 bp in length, encoding 268 amino acids. Overexpression of MSX2 in DPCs significantly increased the mRNA expression levels of hair follicle development-related genes, including CCND1, EGF, Wnt2, and Hoxc13 (P < 0.01), while significantly or extremely significantly decreased the expression of STAT1, SFRP2, and Wnt5a (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Conversely, knockdown of MSX2 exhibited the opposite trend. Additionally, MSX2 significantly promoted DPC proliferation. These findings provide a theoretical foundation for further research on the role of MSX2 in hair follicle development in rabbits.

Key words: long-haired rabbits, MSX2, dermal papilla cell, hair follicle development

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