Biological Functional Analysis of LncRNA-XLOC_018763 and Its Inhibitory Effect on Liaoning Cashmere Goat Skin Fibroblasts

In our laboratory, the optimal growth of villi occurred when melatonin was applied at 0.2 g/L to the skin fibroblasts of Liaoning cashmere goats (LCG). Under these conditions, four differentially expressed LncRNAs were identified: XLOC_001 467, XLOC_018 392, XLOC_006 000, and XLOC_018 763. Our findings revealed that XLOC_001 467, XLOC_018 392, XLOC_006 000, and XLOC_018 763 were predominantly localized in the nucleus of skin fibroblasts. Post-melatonin treatment, no significant changes were observed in the localization of XLOC_001 467 and XLOC_018 392. However, qPCR results indicated that melatonin significantly increased the expression of XLOC_018 763, consistent with transcriptome sequencing results. CCK-8 assays demonstrated that overexpression of XLOC_018 763 notably inhibited the proliferation of LCG skin fibroblasts. GO enrichment analysis revealed that the XLOC_018 763 target genes were predominantly located in the extracellular space and associated with immune response, cellular responses to tumor necrosis factor. In KEGG analysis XLOC_018 763 target genes were chiefly enriched in TNF, NOD-like receptor, IL-17 and NF-kappa B signaling pathways. The PPI network indicated some regulatory relationships between genes. Collectively, these results suggest that the LncRNA molecule XLOC_018 763 plays an important regulatory role in hair follicle development and villi growth in LCG, which is significant for further investigation into its specific mechanisms of action.