{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T11:37:52Z","timestamp":1785411472251,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783641600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["32172690"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32172690"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["32172690"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32172690"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01h0zpd94","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Jiangsu Higher Education Key Natural Science Research Program","award":["21KJA230002"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["21KJA230002"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100012246","name":"Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["2014-134"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2014-134"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100012246","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Cashmere production declines with age in Inner Mongolian cashmere goats, but the molecular mechanisms are unknown. This study employed a transcriptome-wide RNA-seq analysis to compare age-associated and breed-related gene expression profiles in goat skin, with particular emphasis on age-dependent AKT1 expression and its associated signaling pathways. Skin tissues from cashmere goats at 12 and 15 months and age-matched non-cashmere controls were analyzed by RNA-seq (BGIDNBSEQ platform). Differential expression and functional enrichment analyses were performed on skin transcriptomes of cashmere and control goats at 12 and 15 months. Age-specific functional profiles emerged: 12-month cashmere goats showed enrichment in GTPase activity, glucose transport, and ribosomal assembly, whereas 15-month goats were enriched for autophagosome assembly and apoptosis. FoxO signaling was commonly enriched across both ages, while the Hepatitis B pathway was unique to 12 months. AKT1 was significantly upregulated at 12 months coinciding with peak cashmere production with reduced expression at 15 months. This age-dependent pattern was supported by coordinated regulation of downstream effectors, including TSC2, PIK3R2, MAPK9, and FOXO3. Collectively, these transcriptomic data provide a mechanistic framework linking age-dependent AKT1 regulation to the decline in cashmere fiber production.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci13070671","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]],"date-time":"2026-07-10T11:43:34Z","timestamp":1783683814000},"page":"671","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals AKT1 Upregulation in Inner Mongolian Cashmere Goats at 12 and 15 Months of Age"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-7534-0707","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Muhammad Zain","family":"Ghauri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ayesha","family":"Zafar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M Khuzema","family":"Niaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Usman","family":"Nazir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"},{"name":"College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4271-5146","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Asim","family":"Munir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-8841-686X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Muhammad","family":"Hamza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kiran","family":"Zahra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dejun","family":"Ji","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Riaz, H.A., Khan, M.I., Zahra, K., Ali, R., and Ji, D. 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