Interactions Between Epidermal Growth Factor and the Tabby Mutation in Skin

The study explored the relationship between the Tabby (Ta) mutation in mice and the epidermal growth factor (EGF) signal pathway, focusing on skin and hair follicle abnormalities. It was found that EGF levels were similar in various tissues of both Ta/Y and +/Y mice, except for reduced levels in the submaxillary glands of Ta/Y mice, likely due to smaller gland size. Exogenous EGF was shown to inhibit hair follicle development and decrease follicle density in both genotypes. The study concluded that the normal skin phenotype resulted from interactions between EGF and the Ta peptide.