VDAC2 Mediates the Apoptosis of Cashmere Goat Hair Follicle Stem Cells Through the P53 Signaling Pathway.

Hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) are pluripotent stem cells located in the bulges of hair follicles. Apoptosis regulates tissue homeostasis by eliminating unnecessary or damaged cells during development and aging. VDAC2, located in the outer mitochondrial membrane (MOM), is a key apoptosis regulator, but its role in cashmere goat hair follicles remains unclear. In previous studies, through proteomic sequencing, we found that VDAC2 was significantly differentially expressed in the anagen, catagen, and telogen phases of the hair follicles of Albas cashmere goats. This study aimed to explore the role of VDAC2 in secondary hair follicle stem cells (SHFSCs) and preliminarily investigate its regulatory mechanism through RNA-seq. Overexpression of VDAC2 promoted apoptosis in SHFSCs, while knockdown had the opposite effect. RNA-seq analysis, together with expression validation of downstream genes, indicates that the P53 signaling pathway may be involved in VDAC2-mediated SHFSC regulation. RT-qPCR and Western blotting confirmed that VDAC2 activated the P53 signaling pathway in SHFSCs. Furthermore, the use of a P53 inhibitor after VDAC2 overexpression partially rescued the apoptosis of cells caused by VDAC2. These results demonstrate that VDAC2 plays an important role in SHFSC apoptosis. Our findings greatly enhance our understanding of the role of VDAC2 in SHFSC apoptosis and hair follicle growth.