FoxN1 in K14 Promoter-Driven Epithelium Is Required for Generation and Maintenance of 3D-Thymus Medulla and Preventing Nude Phenotype in the Skin

    April 2010 in “ ˜The œjournal of immunology/˜The œJournal of immunology ”
    Junkang Guo, Moshiur Rahman, Shuangmin Zhang, Zhijie Zhang, Amy Tvinnereim, Dongming Su
    TLDR FoxN1 gene is crucial for proper thymus structure and normal skin appearance.
    The study demonstrated that deletion of the FoxN1 gene in K-14 promoter-driven epithelium led to the loss of the 3D-thymus medullary structure, resulting in the formation of numerous alveolus-like 2D-epithelial cysts. These cysts exhibited an immature thymic epithelial cell (TEC) phenotype and expanded with age. Additionally, the FoxN1 deletion caused hair follicle defects and a nude phenotype in the skin but did not result in athymia. This research provided new insights into the gene regulation of 3D-thymus epithelial structure and highlighted the distinct roles of FoxN1 in the thymus and skin.
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