TLDR GLI2 increases follistatin production in human skin cells.
The study demonstrated that in human epidermal cells, the expression of the activin/BMP antagonist follistatin (FST) was predominantly up-regulated by the Hedgehog (HH) signaling effector GLI2. This up-regulation was specific to GLI2, as neither GLI1 nor GLI3 significantly increased FST transcription. The research identified two GLI consensus binding sites in the FST promoter necessary for GLI2-mediated activation, with a 518-bp fragment in the proximal promoter region being crucial for this specificity. Additionally, sequences C-terminal to the zinc finger in GLI2 were responsible for this specific activation, suggesting the involvement of GLI-interacting cofactors. The findings highlighted a significant role of GLI2 in the regulation of FST in response to HH signaling, indicating a regulatory interaction between HH and activin/BMP signaling pathways in hair follicle development and basal cell carcinoma (BCC).
788 citations,
February 2007 in “Nature” The document concludes that skin stem cells are important for hair growth and wound healing, and could be used in regenerative medicine.
550 citations,
December 2005 in “The Journal of clinical investigation/The journal of clinical investigation” Researchers successfully isolated and identified key markers of stem cell-enriched human hair follicle bulge cells.
165 citations,
December 2004 in “Differentiation” BMP signaling is crucial for skin and hair growth.
81 citations,
January 2003 in “The FASEB Journal” Follistatin helps hair growth and cycling, while activin prevents it.
28 citations,
July 2008 in “Developmental Biology” Smad4 is important for healthy hair follicles because it helps produce a protein needed for hair to stick together and grow.
143 citations,
September 2008 in “Experimental gerontology” Skin aging is due to impaired stem cell mobilization or fewer responsive stem cells.
176 citations,
January 2003 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) help control skin health, hair growth, and color, and could potentially be used to treat skin and hair disorders.
111 citations,
January 2007 in “Seminars in cell & developmental biology” Hair, teeth, and mammary glands develop similarly at first but use different genes later.
60 citations,
July 2011 in “Stem Cells and Development” Certain signals and genes play a key role in hair growth and regeneration, and understanding these could lead to new treatments for skin regeneration.
