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Lookup NU author(s): Alla Narytnyk, Kevin Gillinder, Dr Bernard Verdon, Dr Oliver Clewes, Professor Maya Sieber-Blum
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
We show that neural crest stem cells affect mouse hair follicle development. During embryogenesis hair follicle induction is regulated by complex reciprocal and functionally redundant signals between epidermis and dermis, which remain to be fully understood. Canonical Wnt signalling is a hallmark of neural crest cells and also a prerequisite for hair follicle induction prior to hair placode formation in the epidermis. As neural crest stem cells invade the epidermis during early embryonic development we aimed at determining whether neural crest cells affect hair follicle development. To attenuate, but not silence, canonical Wnt signalling specifically in neural crest cells, we analyzed Wnt1-cre(+/-)::Pygo2(-/-) mice in which the beta-catenin co-activator gene, Pygopus 2 (Pygo2), is deleted specifically in neural crest cells. Both, hair density and hair thickness were reduced in mutant mice. Furthermore, hair development was delayed and the relative ratio of hair types was affected. There was a decrease in zig-zag hairs and an increase in awl hairs. Mouse neural crest stem cells expressed ectodysplasin, an essential effector in the formation of zig-zag hair. Taken together, our data support the novel notion that neural crest cells are involved in the earliest stages of hair follicle development.
Author(s): Narytnyk A, Gillinder K, Verdon B, Clewes O, Sieber-Blum M
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Stem Cell Reviews and Reports
Year: 2014
Volume: 10
Issue: 1
Pages: 60-68
Print publication date: 18/08/2013
Date deposited: 21/05/2014
ISSN (print): 1550-8943
ISSN (electronic): 1558-6804
Publisher: Humana Press
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12015-013-9466-z
DOI: 10.1007/s12015-013-9466-z
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