TLDR The LEF-1 binding site enhances gene expression in hair follicles, with other proteins aiding specific regulation.
The study investigated the regulation of the wool keratin intermediate filament gene K2.10 promoter during hair growth. Researchers identified that the region spanning nucleotides –350 to +53 was crucial for directing gene expression in the follicle cortex of transgenic mice. Deleting nucleotides –350 to –150 resulted in a loss of promoter activity, while a mutation at the LEF-1 binding site decreased activity but maintained specificity. DNase I footprinting and electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that, besides LEF-1, Sp1, AP2-like, and NF1-like proteins also bound to the promoter, with Sp1 and AP2-like proteins flanking the LEF-1 site and NF1-like proteins binding near the transcription start site. The study concluded that the LEF-1 binding site acted as an enhancer element, with other factors contributing to tissue- and differentiation-specific regulation of the promoter.
61 citations
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February 1997 in “Differentiation” Hair differentiation starts earlier than thought, involving multiple type-II keratins.
228 citations
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33 citations
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October 1996 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” 
14 citations
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March 1995 in “Journal of cell science” SV40 T antigen in hair follicles causes abnormal hair and health issues in mice.
47 citations
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June 1994 in “Experimental Cell Research” mHa2 and mHa3 keratins have different structures and roles in mouse hair and tongue tissues.
65 citations
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February 1992 in “Development” Type II keratin genes are crucial for hair follicle differentiation and have a conserved structure and expression pattern.
18 citations
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February 1992 in “Molecular Biology Reports” A specific type II hair keratin was identified and found in hair cortex and tongue cells.
98 citations
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December 1991 in “Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences” Keratin gene regulation is similar across mammals, affecting hair follicle differentiation.
27 citations
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September 1990 in “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” The study showed that a specific DNA sequence can control gene expression in hair growth areas of mice.
93 citations
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May 1990 in “The EMBO Journal” Mice with extra sheep genes had hair that fell out and regrew in cycles.
38 citations
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50 citations
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July 2008 in “British Journal of Dermatology” 138 citations
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March 2007 in “Experimental cell research” Only a few hair-specific keratins are linked to inherited hair disorders.
276 citations
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January 2005 in “International review of cytology” More research is needed to understand how hair keratins work and their role in hair disorders.
199 citations
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January 2004 in “The International Journal of Developmental Biology” Hair follicle growth and development are controlled by specific genes and molecular signals.
29 citations
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April 2003 in “Experimental dermatology” Human hair follicles grown in vitro maintain normal keratin patterns and structure.
