A Role for the TGF-β/BMP Co-Receptor Endoglin in the Molecular Oscillator That Regulates the Hair Follicle Cycle

December 2017 in “ bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) ”

Maria Inmaculada Calvo Sanchez, Elisa Carrasco, Sandra Fernández-Martos, Gema Moreno‐Bueno, Carmelo Bernabeu, Miguel Quintanilla, Jesús Espada

Endoglin Tgf-β Bmp hair follicle cycle hair follicle stem cell niches β-catenin Smad4 Wnt/β-catenin Bmp/Smad signals TGF-beta BMP hair cycle stem cell niches beta-catenin Wnt signaling Smad signaling

TLDR Endoglin is important for proper hair growth cycles and stem cell activation in hair follicles.

The study, conducted 6 years ago, investigated the role of Endoglin (Eng), a co-receptor for the Tgf-β/Bmp family of growth factors, in the regulation of hair follicle cycles. Using an Eng haploinsufficient mouse model, the researchers found that Eng is necessary for maintaining a correct follicle cycling pattern and for adequately stimulating hair follicle stem cell niches. The study also revealed that β-catenin binds to the Eng promoter depending on Bmp signalling and interacts with Smad4 in a Bmp/Eng dependent context. Both proteins work together to activate Eng promoter transcription. These findings suggest the existence of a growth/rest switching mechanism in the hair follicle that relies on an Eng-dependent feedback crosstalk between Wnt/β-catenin and Bmp/Smad signals.

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