TLDR Overexpressing ovine β-catenin in mice skin increases hair follicle density and growth.
The study generated transgenic mice overexpressing ovine β-catenin specifically in their skin to examine its impact on hair follicle development. Out of 480 injected oocytes, 93 founder mice were produced, with 10 identified as transgenic. These mice exhibited significantly higher β-catenin mRNA and protein levels in their skin, leading to increased hair follicle density and an earlier onset of the anagen phase. The β-catenin expression was skin-specific and heritable up to the F6 generation. The findings suggest that ovine β-catenin plays a crucial role in promoting hair follicle growth, with potential applications in improving wool quality in fine-wool sheep breeds. The transgenic mice remained healthy and showed no defects.
25 citations,
April 2021 in “The EMBO Journal” Hair follicle stem cells help maintain skin health and could improve skin replacement therapies.
4 citations,
January 2019 in “International journal of molecular sciences” Genetically modified sheep with more β-catenin grew more wool without changing the wool's length or thickness.
854 citations,
February 2002 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” Understanding hair follicle development can help treat hair loss, skin regeneration, and certain skin cancers.
949 citations,
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745 citations,
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February 2009 in “Journal of dermatological science” Pitx2 helps outer root sheath cells differentiate but can't start hair growth on its own.
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July 2020 in “International Journal of Molecular Sciences” Activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway could lead to new hair loss treatments.
31 citations,
August 2021 in “Stem Cell Research & Therapy” The conclusion is that understanding how hair follicle stem cells live or die is important for maintaining healthy tissue and repairing injuries, and could help treat hair loss, but there are still challenges to overcome.
