Authors:
Hoang Nguyen, Bradley J Merrill, Lisa Polak, Maria Nikolova, Michael Rendl, Timothy M Shaver, H Amalia Pasolli, & Elaine Fuchs
Summary:
Single-layered embryonic skin either stratifies to form epidermis or responds to Wnt signaling (stabilized b-catenin) to form hair follicles. Postnatally, stem cells continue to differentially use Wnt signaling in long-term tissue homeostasis. We have discovered that embryonic progenitor cells and postnatal hair follicle stem cells coexpress Tcf3 and Tcf4, which can act as transcriptional activators or repressors. Using loss-of-function studies and transcriptional analyses, we uncovered consequences to the absence of Tcf3 and Tcf4 in skin that only partially overlap with those caused by b-catenin deficiency. We established roles for Tcf3 and Tcf4 in long-term maintenance and wound repair of both epidermis and hair follicles, suggesting that Tcf proteins have both Wnt-dependent and Wnt-independent roles in lineage determination.
Source:
Nature Genetics; 41, 1068-1075 (08/30/09)