April 2026 in “Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology” This study found that exosomes from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells reduced hair follicle aging and promoted hair regeneration in models by upregulating COL17A1 through the miR-21-5p/DKK2/Wnt/β-catenin axis, outperforming existing treatments like minoxidil.
April 2023 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” The study demonstrated that both DKK2 and SOSTDC1 are necessary for normal timing of the first catagen phase in mice hair growth cycles.
64 citations
,
March 2017 in “Nature communications” This study identified 63 genetic loci associated with male-pattern baldness, uncovering genes and pathways that may help develop treatments and suggesting its connection to other human conditions.
3 citations
,
September 2023 in “Genes” This study analyzed the molecular evolution and functional divergence of the Dkk gene family, finding accelerated evolution in Aves and Reptilia and identifying functional differences that may impact hair follicle development via Wnt signaling inhibition.
January 2026 in “Aging and Disease” This review discusses recent research on the Dickkopf protein family's involvement in non-cancerous diseases and considers their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets without presenting new experimental results.
July 2025 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Secreted inhibitors of Wnt and IGF signaling control hair and tooth development, creating species-specific patterns.
6 citations
,
January 2024 in “Annals of Dermatology” In this study, treatment with recombinant DKK2 was shown to significantly stimulate hair progenitor cell growth and enhance hair shaft elongation in ex vivo human hair follicle cultures by activating the Wnt/ẞ-catenin signaling pathway, suggesting a potential role for DKK2 in promoting hair growth.
3 citations
,
June 2020 in “Developmental Cell” This study observed that in chicken skin, large-scale differences in gene expression between feathered and scaly skin are controlled by enhancer-driven uniform expression, while small-scale differences within individual feathers are associated with chromatin looping.
136 citations
,
May 2019 in “Cells” This review discusses the advancements in intraoperative stem cell therapies and highlights their potential to improve hair regrowth, but it reports no new clinical results.
89 citations
,
November 2017 in “Journal of Cellular Physiology” This review discusses the role of Wnt/β‐catenin signaling in stem and cancer stem cell maintenance and its involvement in the development and regeneration of various organs, but reports no new experimental results.
87 citations
,
January 2016 in “Development” This study suggests that the postnatal loss of hair follicle formation in wounds may be due to elevated Wnt/β-catenin activation in the dermis, affecting fibroblast function in mice.
72 citations
,
April 2008 in “Organogenesis” This review discusses the roles of Wnt signaling in skin organogenesis and related processes but reports no new experimental results, highlighting areas for future research.
69 citations
,
April 2019 in “Biomedicines” This study found that hair thickness and density increased after treatment with human follicle mesenchymal stem cells and platelet rich plasma, associated with enhanced Wnt signaling and platelet derived growth factors.
66 citations
,
July 2015 in “Journal of Molecular Biology” This review discusses how macro-environmental factors such as intradermal adipose tissue and sex hormones influence hair and feather stem cell niches, suggesting environmental targets for regenerative medicine, but reports no new clinical results.
62 citations
,
November 2009 in “Aging Cell” Hedgehog signaling helps keep hair follicle stem cells the same in both young and old human skin.
57 citations
,
November 2017 in “Nature Communications” This genome-wide association study identified 71 genetic loci linked to male pattern baldness, with 30 novel loci, explaining 38% of the risk and suggesting shared pathways with lifespan and cancer traits.
56 citations
,
February 2010 in “PLOS ONE” This study demonstrates that canonical Wnt signaling is crucial for maintaining thymic epithelial microenvironments in postnatal thymus, possibly by affecting TEC progenitor cells.
54 citations
,
April 2019 in “Journal of cellular physiology” In this study, miR-218-5p was found to enhance hair shaft growth and positively regulate the Wnt signaling pathway by targeting SFRP2 during skin and hair follicle development.
53 citations
,
April 2014 in “Experimental Dermatology” In this study, ectopic Wnt10b-mediated β-catenin activation in hair follicles resulted in larger regenerating anagen hair structures, an effect modulated by the Wnt inhibitor DKK1.
52 citations
,
October 2012 in “Journal of Dermatological Science” This review presents updated tables of mouse mutants with hair growth abnormalities to aid in understanding the molecular mechanisms of human hair disorders, but reports no new clinical results.
51 citations
,
March 2014 in “Nature Communications” This study suggests that activating retinoic acid signalling can inhibit Wnt signalling and induce regression in certain skin tumors, providing potential therapeutic strategies for tumor regression.
47 citations
,
May 2012 in “Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews-Developmental Biology” This article reviews the generation of complex integument patterns through genetic, chemical, and environmental influences, with applications in tissue engineering, but reports no new experimental results.
45 citations
,
April 2018 in “Nature Reviews Urology” This review discusses the molecular mechanisms of masculinization involving androgen signaling and their roles in male embryonic development and conditions like hypospadias and prostate cancer, and reports no clinical results.
41 citations
,
December 2019 in “Stem Cell Reviews and Reports” This review discusses the progress in tooth regeneration research and highlights the potential of spatial-temporal release of developmental factors, but it reports no new clinical findings.
29 citations
,
May 2020 in “npj Regenerative Medicine” This review discusses the role of the immune niche in hair follicle regeneration and its impact on different forms of alopecia, highlighting research gaps and potential therapeutic strategies.
25 citations
,
February 2019 in “Genomics” This study reports that milk goats exhibit significantly more differentially expressed genes related to hair follicle cycling across different months compared to cashmere goats, especially in December.
25 citations
,
January 2014 in “Annals of Dermatology” Sfrp2 increases during hair follicle catagen phase and slows keratinocyte growth.
20 citations
,
September 2021 in “Nature communications” In this study, researchers identified a gene expression pre-pattern and implicated the Wnt inhibitor Dickkopf 4 in the formation of color patterns in domestic cat embryos.
19 citations
,
June 2020 in “Animals” This study found that maternal sub-maintenance nutrition reduced the density and branching ratio of secondary wool follicles in Merino sheep fetuses and identified genes potentially involved in these processes.
19 citations
,
April 2015 in “Developmental Dynamics” This study reports that dynamic interactions between stem cells and their niche, influenced by macro-environmental factors, regulate regenerative behavior in integument pattern formation.