Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify genes regulated by cyclin dependent kinases 5 (CDK5) that participate in hair pigmentation in mice. METHODS: The mRNA expression profiles of skin samples from CDK5-knockdown mice were constructed using high-throughput RNA sequencing and compared with those of wild-type mice. RESULTS: In total, 8,002 known genes were differentially expressed between CDK5-knockdown and wild-type mice. Of these, 3,658 were upregulated and 4,344 were downregulated in the skin of CDK5-knockdown mice. An additional 318 previously unknown genes were also differentially expressed, with 171 downregulated and 147 upregulated genes in the skin of CDK5-knockdown mice. Of the known genes expressed in mouse skin, 80 were associated with hair color, with 61 showing lower expression and 19 exhibiting higher expression in skin of CDK5-knockdown mice. Importantly, the expression of the tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1) and the calcium signaling pathway were also found to be regulated by CDK5, suggesting that pigmentation is regulated by CDK5 via the calcium signaling pathway and TYRP1. CONCLUSION: The transcriptome profiles obtained from the skin of CDK5-knockdown mice compared to wild-type mice provide a valuable resource to help understand the mechanism by which CDK5 regulates melanogenesis in mice and other animals.