Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals the Key Genes Associated With Hair Follicle Development in Qianhua Mutton Merino

A total of five newborn (1-day-old) and five yearling (12-month-old) Qianhua mutton Merino sheep were selected for this study. Skin tissue samples were collected for histological analysis using HE staining. Transcriptome sequencing was performed on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform, and differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis was conducted using the R package degeR. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were performed on the DEGs to identify genes associated with hair follicle development. Ten DEGs were randomly selected for the validation of the transcriptome sequencing results using realtime quantitative PCR. The KRT27 gene was further validated through immuno-histochemistry and quantitative PCR.