Transcriptomic Analysis Provides Molecular Insights into Skin Development in Dezhou Donkey Foals

Skin development undergoes significant molecular changes during early life stages in mammals. This study investigated transcriptomic differences in skin tissues between newborn (Y0) and one-year-old (Y1) Dezhou donkey foals using RNA-sequencing technology. Skin samples were collected from 13 Dezhou donkeys (7 newborns and 6 one-year-olds) and subjected to transcriptome analysis using the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. A total of 133.66 Gb of clean data was obtained, yielding 252,342 transcripts and 204,683 unigenes. Differential expression analysis revealed 9878 significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between age groups, with 4252 up-regulated and 5626 down-regulated genes in Y1 compared to Y0. Functional enrichment analysis identified key pathways, including ECM-receptor interaction, PI3K-Akt signaling, WNT signaling, and TGF-β signaling pathways. Notable findings included up-regulation of keratin genes (<i>KRT1</i>) and WNT family genes (<i>WNT3</i>, <i>WNT4</i>, <i>WNT5</i>, <i>WNT6</i>, <i>WNT7</i>, <i>WNT10</i>) in one-year-old foals, while collagen genes (<i>COL1A</i>, <i>COL4A</i>, <i>COL5AS</i>) and TGF-β signaling components (<i>TGFB2</i>, <i>TGFB3</i>, <i>BMP5</i>) were down-regulated. These results suggest that skin maturation involves enhanced barrier function, hair follicle development, and reduced collagen synthesis rates, providing insights into mammalian skin development mechanisms and potential applications in veterinary medicine and comparative biology.