Evidence That the Satin Hair Mutant Gene Foxq1 Is Among Multiple and Functionally Diverse Regulatory Targets for Hoxc13 During Hair Follicle Differentiation

The study demonstrated that the gene Foxq1 is a downstream target of Hoxc13 and plays a crucial role in hair follicle differentiation, particularly in the medulla compartment. Using Hoxc13-overexpressing transgenic mice, researchers found that Hoxc13 influences the expression of various genes specific to different hair shaft compartments. The medulla-specific gene Foxq1, which is altered in satin mouse hair mutants, was shown to be essential for the expression of other medulla-specific genes. This suggests that Hoxc13 and Foxq1 work together in a regulatory pathway to control medulla differentiation, highlighting a potential interaction between Hox and Fox gene families in developmental processes.