Neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein modulates Wnt signaling and is required for hair follicle cycling in mice

The study explored the role of Neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP) in hair follicle cycling and Wnt signaling in mice. Mice with an epidermis-specific deletion of N-WASP experienced progressive hair loss and abnormal hair follicle stages, indicating N-WASP's essential role in normal hair follicle cycling. The absence of N-WASP led to impaired progression from telogen to anagen phases, resulting in alopecia, and was associated with defects in Wnt signaling, such as decreased β-catenin nuclear localization and reduced GSK-3β phosphorylation. Despite increased keratinocyte proliferation, there was a decline in hair follicle stem cells, highlighting N-WASP's necessity for maintaining hair follicle progenitor cells and modulating Wnt signaling.