Mice With a Null Mutation of the TGFα Gene Have Abnormal Skin Architecture, Wavy Hair, and Curly Whiskers and Often Develop Corneal Inflammation
April 1993
in “
Cell
”
Studysummary This study found that mice with a disrupted TGFα gene display a curly whisker-coat phenotype, similar to waved-1 mice, suggesting TGFα's crucial role in skin architecture and hair development. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
Mice with a null mutation of the TGFα gene showed abnormal skin architecture, wavy hair, and curly whiskers, with some developing corneal inflammation as they aged. Histological analysis revealed significant hair follicle derangement, and the phenotype was similar to the waved-1 (wa-1) mouse mutant. Crosses between TGFα −/− and wa-1 mice produced offspring with the same curly whisker-coat phenotype, indicating that the wa-1 phenotype was due to a TGFα gene mutation. These results suggested that TGFα was crucial for proper skin architecture and hair development.
