Single-Cell Transcriptomic Atlas of Hair Follicle Microenvironment in Fine-Wool Sheep

59,732 high-quality cells from skin tissues of six half-sibling fine-wool sheep were captured via single-cell RNA sequencing and annotated into 14 distinct cell types. The dataset, authored by Tong Xiao and last updated in June 2026, compares transcriptional profiles across sheep groups with different wool fiber diameters. It was created to investigate the genetic underpinnings of fiber diameter and the role of dermal papilla cells.

Use Cases

• Identify cell type-specific gene expression markers based on the 14 annotated cell types.
• Analyze cell-cell communication networks based on the ligand-receptor pairs identified in the study.
• Reconstruct developmental trajectories of epidermal lineage cells using pseudotime analysis.
• Investigate differentially expressed genes associated with wool fiber diameter across ultra-fine, medium-fine, and fine wool groups.
• Validate candidate gene functions, such as CRABP1, in modulating dermal papilla cell proliferation.

Strengths

• Contains 59,732 high-quality single-cell transcriptomes from a controlled biological experiment.
• Cells are systematically annotated into 14 distinct types using known marker genes.
• Data is structured to compare three experimental groups (ultra-fine, medium-fine, fine wool).
• Released under a permissive CC-BY-4.0 license for reuse.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset is small (1.3 MB), suggesting it contains processed analytical results rather than raw sequencing data.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Tong Xiao.

Collection Method

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of skin tissues from six half-sibling fine-wool sheep reared under identical conditions.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-01 05:25:33; freshness should be verified.