Knockdown of FOXA2 Impairs Hair-Inductive Activity of Cultured Human Follicular Keratinocytes

The study explored the importance of the transcription factor FOXA2 in the hair growth potential of human outer root sheath (ORS) follicular keratinocytes. It was found that the hair-inductive ability of ORS cells decreased as they were cultured for longer periods. FOXA2 was identified as the most up-regulated transcription factor in hair-inducing ORS cells through microarray analysis. When FOXA2 was suppressed using small interfering RNA (siRNA), there was a notable reduction in the number of hair follicles that developed compared to a control group. This indicates that FOXA2 is crucial for maintaining the hair-inductive properties of ORS cells, and enhancing FOXA2 expression could be a promising approach for hair follicle regeneration treatments. The study also suggested a potential link between FOXA2 and WNT7b, a gene associated with hair follicle development. The research was conducted with human participants who gave informed consent and was approved by ethical committees, with a commitment to make the data freely available.