title: Two distinct signaling pathways in hair cycle induction: Stat3-dependent and -independent pathways.
abstract: The hair follicle is an epidermal derivative that undergoes cycles of growth, involution, and rest. The hair cycle has well-orchestrated kinetics regulated by interactions between mesenchymal and epithelial cells, although the intracellular signals remain unclear. We previously established keratinocyte-specific Stat3-disrupted mice, by which we demonstrated that signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) is required for wound healing and anagen progression in the hair cycle. Growth factor-dependent migration of Stat3-disrupted keratinocytes was severely impaired, suggesting that not only wound healing but also telogen-to-anagen progression required organized keratinocyte migration in response to mesenchymal stimuli. In the present study, to examine whether Stat3 activation in keratinocytes is a prerequisite for hair cycle progression, we applied methods for experimental anagen induction to Stat3-disrupted mice. It was demonstrated that anagen was successfully induced in Stat3-disrupted as well as wild-type mice by chemical or mechanical stimulation, i.e. , by topical application of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or by hair plucking, respectively. This result indicated that anagen in these methods occurred in the absence of Stat3. Furthermore, PMA stimulated the migration of Stat3-disrupted keratinocytes in vitro, supporting a hypothesis that the protein kinase C (PKC) and Stat3 pathways occur independently in the postnatal anagen induction. Both Stat3-dependent and -independent migration of keratinocytes was inhibited by a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, wortmannin. Therefore, we infer that entry into anagen is mediated by at least two distinct signaling pathways: Stat3-dependent pathway for spontaneous hair cycling and Stat3-independent (probably PKC-dependent) pathway for exogenously induced hair cycling, whereas both pathways require PI3K activation.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Dermatology and Social and Environmental Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kira
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshikawa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Itami
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006197:Hair / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C494087:Stat3 protein, mouse; D015534:Trans-Activators; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate