How hair gets its pigment.
Mutations in the transcription factor Foxn1 cause the nude phenotype in mice, which is characterized by a lack of visible hair. New work by Weiner et al. (2007) in this issue of Cell now shows that Foxn1 also contributes to hair color by marking which cells are to receive pigment from melanocytes.
Barsh
Greg
G
Department of Genetics, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Cotsarelis
George
G
D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002465:Cell Movement; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006200:Hair Color / Q000502:physiology*; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D053569:Keratin-15; D053555:Keratin-5 / Q000235:genetics; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008543:Melanins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010641:Phenotype; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D012880:Skin Pigmentation / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic