Foxn1 is required for tissue assembly and desmosomal cadherin expression in the hair shaft

SA Johns, S Soullier, P Rashbass… - … dynamics: an official …, 2005 - Wiley Online Library
SA Johns, S Soullier, P Rashbass, VT Cunliffe
Developmental dynamics: an official publication of the American …, 2005Wiley Online Library
The mouse nude mutation inactivates the gene encoding the Foxn1 transcription factor,
causing defective hair morphogenesis. Here, we show for the first time that Foxn1 is required
for proper assembly of the hair medulla, and we identify Foxn1‐regulated genes by
transcript profiling. One such gene encodes the desmosomal cadherin, Dsc2. Significantly,
Foxn1‐dependent Dsc2 expression is restricted to the hair medulla, and within these cells,
Dsc2 protein is predominantly localized to specialized adhesion junctions between the …
Abstract
The mouse nude mutation inactivates the gene encoding the Foxn1 transcription factor, causing defective hair morphogenesis. Here, we show for the first time that Foxn1 is required for proper assembly of the hair medulla, and we identify Foxn1‐regulated genes by transcript profiling. One such gene encodes the desmosomal cadherin, Dsc2. Significantly, Foxn1‐dependent Dsc2 expression is restricted to the hair medulla, and within these cells, Dsc2 protein is predominantly localized to specialized adhesion junctions between the cortex and the medulla. Our results reveal Foxn1 as an essential regulator of tissue assembly in the growing hair shaft and implicate Dsc2 as a downstream effector of this activity. Developmental Dynamics 232:1062–1068, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
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