Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) Is Required for Normal Development of Skin and Thymus

The study investigated the role of the Apc gene in development by using mice with a floxed allele of Apc and a K14-cre transgene, which led to the loss of Apc in basal cells of the epidermis and other stratified epithelia. These mice exhibited stunted growth and died before weaning, with histological and immunochemical analyses showing abnormal growth in ectodermally derived squamous epithelia, including hair follicles, teeth, and oral and corneal epithelia. Additionally, squamous metaplasia was observed in epithelial-derived tissues such as the thymus. The findings indicated that the Apc gene was essential for specifying epithelial cell fates in organs requiring epithelial-mesenchymal interactions during development.