title: [Osteopontin of skin and hair follicle of rat].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the changes of osteopontin mRNA of skin and hair follicles of embryonic and postnatal rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  The follicular cycles of rat hair were determined firstly and then the distribution and quantity of osteopontin mRNA on the paraffin sections of skin and hair follicles of Wistar rats were determined, aged from embryonic 14-18 days and postnatal 1-61 days, were investigated by radiolabel in situ hybridization technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicated that when the rats were 18 days old, the signals of osteopontin mRNA in dermal papilla (DP) of hair follicles were observed. The signals of osteopontin mRNA in DP showed a regular changes in the hair cycles: the signal of osteopontin mRNA appeared in the catagen phase and the peak level was in the middle stage of catagen, but it totally disappeared when the follicles entered into telegen and anagen phases of hair cycles. Osteopontin message was mainly accumulated in follicular dermal papillary cells, and in corresponding connective tissue sheath and neighboring dermal macrophages, but no signal of osteopontin mRNA was detected in any other skin and hair follicular cells else where.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest a possible role of osteopontin in up-regulating growth and differentiation of dermal papilla during the catagen phase of the hair follicles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China. tiany@163.net
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xiang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D053495:Osteopontin; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins; C506897:Spp1 protein, rat; D053495:Osteopontin