Defining the impact of β-catenin/Tcf transactivation on epithelial stem cells

The study investigated the role of β-catenin stabilization in the maintenance, proliferation, and lineage commitment of multipotent follicle stem cells (SCs) within their native niche and in culture. Using gain and loss of function mutations, it was demonstrated that β-catenin stabilization was crucial for transitioning SCs from a quiescent state to proliferating transit amplifying (TA) progeny. Transcriptional profiling of SCs from wild-type and elevated β-catenin follicles revealed specific genes dependent on β-catenin stabilization. The study showed that Wnt signaling and β-catenin stabilization transiently activated Lef1/Tcf complexes, promoting TA cell conversion and proliferation, which precedes further Wnt signals that determine the differentiation lineages of the hair follicle.