The Human Papillomavirus Type 11 Upstream Regulatory Region Triggers Hair-Follicle-Specific Gene Expression in Transgenic Mice

Researchers generated transgenic mice with the upstream regulatory region (URR) of human papillomavirus type 11 linked to the Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase gene to study hair-specific gene expression. They found that the reporter gene was specifically transcribed in the epithelial cells of the hair bulge region, with expression beginning after birth and not during embryogenesis. The study also revealed that treatments with dexamethasone and ultraviolet B increased the number and intensity of hair follicles expressing the reporter gene, while phorbol myristate acetate and progesterone did not have this effect.