High-Sulfur Protein Gene Expression in a Transgenic Mouse

The study investigated the effects of minoxidil on hair follicles from transgenic mice engineered to express the reporter enzyme CAT during active hair growth phases. The transgene, controlled by the UHS protein gene promoter, allowed researchers to use CAT activity as a marker for hair growth. In situ hybridization confirmed that UHS proteins and CAT mRNA were expressed in the matrix cells of hair follicles during differentiation. The study demonstrated that minoxidil increased CAT expression in cultured hair follicles, validating the transgenic mice as a model for studying hair growth biology.