Abstract
Objective: Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) are the regulatory center of hair follicle (HF) development, and their proliferation is critical in HF growth studies. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to regulate the HF growth cycle. This study aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which lncRNA regulates HF formation.Methods: Based on previous RNA sequencing results, this study identified differentially expressed lncRNA-lncBMP4 in Hu sheep skin tissues with distinct patterns. The lncBMP4 was characterized by using nuclear-cytoplasmic localization and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Its effect on DPCs proliferation was validated using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, CCK-8, and EdU assays. Subsequently, we further investigated the regulatory role of lncBMP4 on BMP4 using a Dual Luciferase Assay and an RNA immunoprecipitation experiment.Results: This study found that lncBMP4 is primarily localized in the cell nucleus and can inhibit the proliferation of Hu sheep DPCs. It acts by modulating the BMP4 promoter activity, which influences BMP4 expression and, consequently, the proliferation of Hu sheep DPCs.Conclusion: The current study elucidates the role and molecular mechanism of lncBMP4 in the pattern development of Hu sheep.