We tried to find important influencing factors of SHF growth cycle in skin tissue from Inner Mongolian Cashmere goats by RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq). Based on the results of comprehensive analysis of differentially expressed genes, GO enrichment and KEGG enrichment, we found that FGF5, FGFR1 and RRAS had an effect on the hair follicle growth cycle. The results of this study may provide a theoretical basis for further research on the growth and development of SHF in Inner Mongolian Cashmere goats.

Keratin-associated proteins (KAPs) are a structural component of cashmere fibre, and variation in some KAP genes (KRTAPs) has been associated with a number of caprine fibre traits. In this study, we identified the caprine KAP15-1 gene on goat chromosome 1. Six variants containing eight SNPs were found. Association analyses revealed that variation in the gene affected mean fibre diameter.

This study analyzed the DNA methylation profile of the PITX1 gene and its relevance to lactation performance in goats. The methylation rates of the overall CpG island and the 3rd and 12th CpG-dinucleotide loci in blood were significantly associated with average milk yield. The overall methylation rates of the CpG island in mammary gland tissue from dry and lactation periods showed a significant difference. These results could be used as potential epigenetic markers for lactation performance.

As we all know, genes often influence physiological functions of animal organisms such as reproduction, growth, and development. This study explored a novel insertion of paired-like homeodomain 2 (PITX2) gene, and many methods of statistical analysis were used to evaluate their associations with traits of goats. Results indicated that this insertion was significantly associated with litter size, body length, and chest width of goats.