Scratching the surface of skin development

The 2007 document reviews the development of the skin and its appendages, particularly focusing on the role of stem cells in hair follicle regeneration and wound healing. It discusses the origin of the epidermis and its structures from multipotent embryonic progenitor keratinocytes and the importance of signaling pathways such as Wnt, BMPs, FGFs, and Shh in skin epithelium fate determination and hair follicle morphogenesis. The review also covers the differentiation of hair follicle layers, the hair growth cycle, and the maintenance of follicle stem cells, emphasizing the balance of c-myc expression to prevent alopecia. It highlights the roles of c-Myc and LHX2 in follicle stem cell maintenance, BLIMP1 in sebaceous gland development, and the importance of epidermal homeostasis. The document concludes by discussing the potential of skin stem cells in regenerative medicine and the implications for treating various conditions. It is a summary of multiple research findings and does not provide specific numbers of study participants.