Hairless Down-Regulates Expression of Msx2 and Its Related Target Genes in Hair Follicles
April 2013
in “
Journal of dermatological science
”
TLDR Hairless protein reduces Msx2 gene activity, affecting hair follicle development.
The study investigated the role of Hairless (HR) in regulating the expression of Msx2 and its related target genes in hair follicles. Using HrHp/HrHp mutant mice, the researchers found that HR down-regulated Msx2 expression, which subsequently led to the down-regulation of Msx2 target genes Foxn1 and Lef1, both in vivo and in vitro. This down-regulation by HR explained the abnormal hair follicle formation observed in HrHp/HrHp mice. The findings highlighted the importance of HR in the MSX2 regulatory pathway and its impact on hair follicle morphogenesis.