'Cyclic alopecia' in Msx2 mutants: defects in hair cycling and hair shaft differentiation.
Msx2-deficient mice exhibit progressive hair loss, starting at P14 and followed by successive cycles of wavelike regrowth and loss. During the hair cycle, Msx2 deficiency shortens anagen phase, but prolongs catagen and telogen. Msx2-deficient hair shafts are structurally abnormal. Molecular analyses suggest a Bmp4/Bmp2/Msx2/Foxn1 acidic hair keratin pathway is involved. These structurally abnormal hairs are easily dislodged in catagen implying a precocious exogen. Deficiency in Msx2 helps to reveal the distinctive skin domains on the same mouse. Each domain cycles asynchronously - although hairs within each skin domain cycle in synchronized waves. Thus, the combinatorial defects in hair cycling and differentiation, together with concealed skin domains, account for the cyclic alopecia phenotype.
Ma
Liang
L
Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Liu
Jian
J
Wu
Tobey
T
Plikus
Maksim
M
Jiang
Ting-Xin
TX
Bi
Qun
Q
Liu
Yi-Hsin
YH
Müller-Röver
Sven
S
Peters
Heiko
H
Sundberg
John P
JP
Maxson
Rob
R
Maas
Richard L
RL
Chuong
Cheng-Ming
CM
D000505:Alopecia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051521:Fibroblast Growth Factor 5; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D006197:Hair / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000502:physiology*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008954:Models, Biological; D010641:Phenotype; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C496450:Fgf5 protein, mouse; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C084119:MSX2 protein; D014157:Transcription Factors; C090140:Whn protein; D051521:Fibroblast Growth Factor 5; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors