Fig. 8

PSAT1 alters the transcriptome of SHFSCs. (A) Principal component analysis (PCA) of samples. The PCA demonstrates the differential gene expression and sample reproducibility between the experimental group (OE-PSAT1) and the control group (Control). (n = 3). (B) Volcano plot of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The plot displays upregulated (red) and downregulated (green) DEGs, along with their quantities (1243 upregulated, 1556 downregulated). FC ≥ 2 or FC ≤ 0.5; *P < 0.05. (C) Hierarchical clustering analysis of DEGs. A heatmap illustrating the expression patterns of the top 100 significantly differentially expressed genes between the experimental and control groups. The scale bar represents normalized expression values. (D) GO enrichment analysis of DEGs. A bubble chart showing the top 20 significantly enriched GO terms, primarily involving biological functions such as cell proliferation, migration, and metabolic process regulation. (E) GO enrichment string plot for hair-follicle-development-related genes. The plot highlights genes related to HF development, including SFRP1, BMP4, WNT10B, TGFβ2, and WNT4. (F) KEGG enrichment analysis of DEGs. A bubble chart displaying the top 20 significantly enriched KEGG pathways, including cancer pathways, the MAPK signaling pathway, and the TGF-β signaling pathway. (G) KEGG enrichment string plot for hair-follicle-development-related genes. The plot showcases genes significantly related to HF development, such as WNT7A, WNT4A, FZD7, LEF1, and WNT10B. (H) GSEA of DEGs. The chart indicates a significant enrichment of the Wnt signaling pathway, with the positive correlation line (red) rapidly ascending after the zero-crossing point, suggesting a positive correlation with cell survival. (I) Protein–protein interaction analysis of sig-nificantly enriched key factors in the Wnt signaling pathway. The analysis shows a significant enrichment of genes such as Wnt7A, Wnt10B, and FZD7. (J) RT-qPCR validation of transcriptome data. Bar graphs display the mRNA expression changes in PSAT1, β-catenin, GSK3β, and WNT10B genes following PSAT1 overexpression and knockdown, consistent with the results of transcriptome sequencing. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (mean ± SD); n = 3; *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01