| Summary: | Mammalian hair formation is critically determined by the growth of hair follicles (HF). MiRNAs are crucial in the periodic development of hair follicles; they maintain epidermal homeostasis by targeting genes and influencing the activity of signaling pathways and related regulators. Our study discovered miR-129-5p to be overexpressed in the skin of Angora rabbits during catagen, and was negatively correlated with <i>HOXC13</i> expression (Pearson’s R <i>=</i> −0.313, <i>p</i> < 0.05). The dual-Luciferase reporter gene detection system and Western blotting confirmed that miR-129-5p targeted <i>HOXC13</i>. In addition, miR-129-5p overexpression was found to significantly inhibit the expression of hair follicle development-related genes (HFDRGs), such as <i>BCL2</i>, <i>WNT2</i>, <i>CCND1,</i> and <i>LEF1</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.01), and promoted the expression of <i>SFRP2</i>, <i>TGF-β1,</i> and <i>FGF2</i> (<i>p</i> < 0.01), which was the same as the knockdown of <i>HOXC13</i>. In contrast, the knockout of miR-129-5p was the opposite, and it demonstrated similar results to the overexpression of <i>HOXC13</i>. CCK8 and flow cytometry demonstrated that miR-129-5p mimics significantly promoted the apoptosis of dermal papilla cells (DPCs) and inhibited proliferation (<i>p</i> < 0.01), while the inhibitor was found to reduce the apoptosis of DPCs and promote proliferation (<i>p</i> < 0.01). These results showed that miR-129-5p can participate in the periodic development of HF by targeting <i>HOXC13,</i> and it can induce apoptosis and inhibit proliferation of DPCs. These results will help to understand the role and mechanism of miR-129-5p in the periodic development of HF, and will provide support for subsequent studies, not only providing a theoretical basis for genetically improving the quality of hair in animals in the future, but also a new theory and method for diagnosing and treating hair loss in humans.
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