MiR-140-y Targets TCF4 to Regulate the Wnt Signaling Pathway and Promote Embryonic Feather Follicle Development in Hungarian White Goose

This study investigates the role of miR-140-y in regulating the Wnt signaling pathway and its impact on embryonic feather follicle development in Hungarian white geese. Bioinformatics analysis identified miR-140-y as a key microRNA targeting the TCF4 gene, which is crucial for feather follicle development. Experiments confirmed that miR-140-y suppresses the proliferation of goose embryonic dermal fibroblast cells (GEDFs) by inhibiting Wnt pathway-related genes. Conversely, inhibiting miR-140-y or TCF4 enhances GEDFs proliferation. Co-transfection of miR-140-y inhibitor and siRNA-TCF4 rescues TCF4 function, boosting Wnt signaling and cell proliferation. The study concludes that the miR-140-y-TCF4 axis is a dynamic regulator of skin and feather follicle development.