Gab1 and MAPK Signaling Are Essential in the Hair Cycle and Hair Follicle Stem Cell Quiescence
October 2015
in “
Cell reports
”
TLDR Gab1 protein is crucial for hair growth and stem cell renewal, and Mapk signaling helps maintain these processes.
The study concluded that Gab1 and MAPK signaling were essential for regulating the hair cycle and maintaining hair follicle stem cell quiescence. Conditional Gab1 mutant mice showed disrupted hair cycle progression, failing to enter catagen, leading to continuous proliferation and eventual exhaustion of stem cells. Gab1 functioned downstream of receptor tyrosine kinases and upstream of Shp2 and MAPK signaling pathways. Activation of MAPK signaling could rescue hair cycle deficits and restore stem cell quiescence in mutants, highlighting the critical roles of Gab1, Shp2, and MAPK signaling in hair follicle regulation and stem cell maintenance.
