The Wnt-Inhibitor Dkk4 Is Required for Primary Hair Follicle Induction and Patterning

    October 2021 in “ Journal of Investigative Dermatology ”
    Houda Khatif, Hisham Bazzi
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    TLDR Dkk4 protein is necessary for the proper development and arrangement of hair follicles.
    The study "The Wnt-inhibitor Dkk4 is required for primary hair follicle induction and patterning" investigates the role of the Wnt signalling pathway and its Dickkopf (Dkk) inhibitors in hair follicle (HF) patterning, with a focus on Dkk4. The researchers used CRISPR/Cas9 to create Dkk4-knockout mice and found that these mutants had disrupted HF patterning, with an increased interplacodal distance. Notably, the lateral back skin of Dkk4 mutants lacked the first wave of HFs entirely. A Dkk4-EGFP knockin mouse line was also generated to study regional differences in HF formation, revealing intra- and interplacodal differences in Dkk4-EGFP expression. This suggests a WNT-DKK axis underlies regional specificities in HF induction and patterning, which could provide insights into hair loss patterns such as in androgenetic alopecia.
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