[HTML][HTML] De novo hair follicle morphogenesis and hair tumors in mice expressing a truncated β-catenin in skin

U Gat, R DasGupta, L Degenstein, E Fuchs - Cell, 1998 - cell.com
U Gat, R DasGupta, L Degenstein, E Fuchs
Cell, 1998cell.com
An effector of intercellular adhesion, β-catenin also functions in Wnt signaling, associating
with Lef-1/Tcf DNA-binding proteins to form a transcription factor. We report that this pathway
operates in keratinocytes and that mice expressing a stabilized β-catenin controlled by an
epidermal promoter undergo a process resembling de novo hair morphogenesis. The new
follicles formed sebaceous glands and dermal papilla, normally established only in
embryogenesis. As in embryologically initiated hair germs, transgenic follicles induce Lef-1 …
Abstract
An effector of intercellular adhesion, β-catenin also functions in Wnt signaling, associating with Lef-1/Tcf DNA-binding proteins to form a transcription factor. We report that this pathway operates in keratinocytes and that mice expressing a stabilized β-catenin controlled by an epidermal promoter undergo a process resembling de novo hair morphogenesis. The new follicles formed sebaceous glands and dermal papilla, normally established only in embryogenesis. As in embryologically initiated hair germs, transgenic follicles induce Lef-1, but follicles are disoriented and defective in sonic hedgehog polarization. Additionally, proliferation continues unchecked, resulting in two types of tumors also found in humans. Our findings suggest that transient β-catenin stabilization may be a key player in the long-sought epidermal signal leading to hair development and implicate aberrant β-catenin activation in hair tumors.
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