January 2026 in “PLoS Biology” This study used developing mouse hair follicles to explore early epithelial bud formation, finding that the Rho GTPase regulator ARHGEF3 plays a crucial role in regulating cell fate and cadherin patterning, with knockouts showing disrupted morphology and increased straight hair follicle growth.
April 2017 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study suggests that dermal Wnt/β-catenin activation timing is crucial for hair follicle initiation, with potential non-cell autonomous regulation of dermal condensate size.
5 citations
,
September 2021 in “Journal of Molecular Histology” In this study, the researchers identified LHX2 as a specific marker for hair follicle placodes, differentiating them from eccrine sweat gland placodes through double immunofluorescence staining.
82 citations
,
May 2009 in “Development” This study found that downregulation of EGF and KGF signaling is necessary for hair follicle initiation in placodes, revealing a new role for KGF in hair follicle formation in mice.
61 citations
,
January 2011 in “PloS one” In this study, researchers found that Notch signaling is crucial for late-stage epidermal differentiation and postnatal hair cycle homeostasis by regulating hair follicle stem cell proliferation and differentiation.
48 citations
,
January 2012 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” This study identified chemokine receptor ligands cxcl10 and cxcl11 as new hair-specific transcriptional targets of the Eda pathway, suggesting chemokine signaling plays a role in primary hair follicle patterning.
This study found that ARHGEF3 is crucial for hair follicle development in mice, as its absence leads to defects in placode compaction and impaired follicle downgrowth, highlighting its role in regulating cell shape rearrangements during embryogenesis.
16 citations
,
December 2020 in “PloS one” In this study, WNT10A was identified as a key gene in the development and maturation of skin hair follicles in fetal Inner Mongolian cashmere goats.
158 citations
,
November 1998 in “Cell” β-catenin affects hair growth and can lead to tumors, needing more research for better understanding.
August 2022 in “Biomedicines” In this study of mouse embryos, the researchers found that the expression of the Lhx2 gene plays a significant role in wound healing and may promote scar formation in later stages of development.
November 2025 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Mesenchymal stiffness affects sweat gland cell development.
23 citations
,
June 2023 in “Cell Reports” In this study, researchers used transcriptomics and modeling to uncover previously unknown cell populations and marker genes in developing hair follicles, providing insights into early cell fate establishment and offering tools for further research on skin appendages.
31 citations
,
September 2012 in “Journal of biological chemistry/The Journal of biological chemistry” This study found that proper levels of retinoic acid, controlled by the enzyme Cyp26b1, are essential for normal hair follicle development and morphogenesis in mice.
4 citations
,
June 2023 in “Journal of developmental biology” In this study, researchers propose that different vertebrate skin appendages, such as hair, feathers, and scales, evolved in parallel from a shared ancestral cell structure associated with teeth, dating back approximately 420 million years ago.
In this study, Fgf20 was found to trigger movement and morphogenesis in dermal fibroblasts, facilitating dermal condensate formation essential for hair follicle development.
12 citations
,
March 2022 in “Development” This review outlines the role of mechanical forces in the development of sensory organs like eyes and ears, emphasizing insights from recent animal studies and microfabricated organoid systems; it presents no new experimental results.
61 citations
,
April 2013 in “PloS one” This study identified numerous genes that change expression across the anagen, catagen, and telogen stages of cashmere goat hair follicle development, highlighting key signaling pathways involved.
This study found that MEIS2 expression in neural crest-derived cells is crucial for whisker and trigeminal nerve development in the mesenchyme, indicating an early role in epithelial placode formation and dermal condensation, independent of sensory innervation or Foxd1 expression.
December 2025 in “The Journal of Basic and Applied Zoology” This study found that the prenatal skin development in Red Sokoto goats undergoes significant morphological changes across gestational stages, which may be important for their adaptation and thermoregulation after birth.
December 2016 in “Paleontological Journal” This study developed an in vitro artificial hair germ model using dermal papilla cells and skin keratinocytes to explore early stages of hair follicle regeneration.
131 citations
,
March 2004 in “The American journal of pathology” This study found that modulating BMP activity in transgenic mice affects the development and characteristics of several ectodermal organs, such as skin, hair, and claws, highlighting a stage-dependent influence on organogenesis.
1 citations
,
July 2020 in “bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)” This study found that centrosome ablation in developing epidermis triggers cell surveillance pathways, resulting in thinner skin and halted hair follicle growth, while later stages of epidermal growth may operate independently of basal progenitor division orientation.
39 citations
,
January 2020 in “Frontiers in Genetics” This study found that stage-specific epigenetic changes, particularly involving the gene PDGFC, may affect wool fiber development in Zhongwei goats, potentially serving as a biomarker for fur goat selection.
112 citations
,
September 2021 in “BMC Biology” This study found that specific gene expressions during different stages of hair follicle development in Merino sheep are linked to wool-related traits, and may also be relevant to human skin, metabolic, and immune traits.
2 citations
,
May 2020 in “Anais brasileiros de dermatologia/Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia” This study observed that cytokeratins are expressed at specific stages during human fetal hair follicle development, with early markers indicating cellular maturation and later markers appearing in more developed follicles.
207 citations
,
March 2012 in “Development” In this mouse study, researchers found that dermal Wnt signaling/β-catenin activity is essential for fibroblast proliferation and initiating hair follicle formation by interacting with epidermal Wnt ligands.
194 citations
,
May 2000 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study demonstrated that blocking the Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway in mice led to reversible inhibition of body coat hair morphogenesis, while whisker development was unaffected.
127 citations
,
March 2016 in “PLoS ONE” This study found that transcriptome profiling of cashmere goat skin revealed key genes and pathways involved in hair follicle initiation, differentiation, and maturation, which are critical for improving fleece production.
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.
7 citations
,
September 2017 in “Biomedical and Pharmacology Journal” This article discusses the early development of hair follicles with a focus on the formation of epidermal thickenings called placodes, reporting no new experimental results.