title: 'Cyclic alopecia' in Msx2 mutants: defects in hair cycling and hair shaft differentiation.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Tobey
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Maksim
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plikus
authors.forename: Ting-Xin
authors.initials: TX
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Qun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.forename: Yi-Hsin
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Müller-Röver
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sundberg
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maxson
authors.forename: Richard L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Maas
authors.forename: Cheng-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Chuong
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: 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