Investigation of the Molecular Identity of the Junctional Zone in Human Skin

The document reports on a study investigating the role of GATA6, a transcription factor, in the junctional zone of human skin, which is a key area interacting with sebaceous glands, the infundibulum, and the hair follicle. Previous research by the authors' lab had shown that GATA6 is expressed in the junctional zone in mice, where it marks the sebaceous duct lineage and regulates its differentiation. The study also demonstrated that GATA6-positive cells in mice could revert to a stem cell state and differentiate into multiple lineages after wounding. Given the evolutionary conservation of GATA6, the researchers explored its expression in human skin and manipulated GATA6 levels in human keratinocytes using lentiviral constructs to study its effects on differentiation. The results suggest that GATA6 is a crucial regulator of the maintenance and differentiation of the upper pilo-sebaceous unit in humans.