Heat stress decreased hair follicle population in rex rabbits

: The aim of this study was conducted to investigate the effect of heat stress on the hair follicle population and related signalling pathways in rex rabbits. Forty-eight rabbits were randomly divided into two groups: one group in a high ambient environment (32 ± 2°C, heat stress) and the other group with normal temperature (20 ± 2°C, control). The results show that heat stress decreased the body weight gain and feed conversion rate, rabbit hair length and hair follicle density (p   0.05). In conclusion, noggin-BMP, IGF-1 and mTOR signalling pathways may be associated with the process of heat stress-repressing hair follicle development.