Long non-coding RNA Mir17hg positively regulates melanogenesis by inhibiting TGFβ receptor 2 under psychological stress

Skin is the largest organ and it communicates with the brain through neural and humoral signals. Stress has been demonstrated to be the main cause of unhealthy hair cycles and depigmentation. In this study, We used a mouse model for chronic restraint stress (CRS) to observe its effect on pigmentation. After 12 weeks under stress, total RNA was extracted from the dorsal skin of three mice in each group. We uncovered 1,047 differentially expressed genes. Among these, 101 differentially expressed Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were identified. Further, we explored the effect of lncRNA Mir17hg on melanin production in vivo and in vitro, and proved that Mir17hg promotes melanogenesis by inhibiting TGFβR2. RNA was extracted from skin of CRS mice (n = 3) and CON mice (n = 3) after 12 weeks under stress.