title: CCN2 is not required for skin development.
abstract: Mice lacking the pro-adhesive matricellular protein connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) display an embryonic lethal phenotype due to defects in bone and cartilage. However, the specific role of CCN2 in skin development is unknown. Here, we generated mice deleted for CCN2 in the entire body (using a cre/lox system in which CCN2 is deleted in the entire body due to the presence of a constitutively expressed cre recombinase). We found that CCN2 was not required for the development of skin as defined by skin thickness measurements, trichrome staining and immunostaining with anti-CD31 (to detect endothelial cells) and anti-α-SMA (to detect smooth muscle cells and pericytes) antibodies. Thus, although recently we have shown that CCN2 is required for fibrogenesis in postnatal mice, CCN2 is not required for skin development during embryogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Oral Biology and Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, Dental Sciences Bldg., London, ON, Canada, N6A 5C1.
authors.forename: Shangxi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Leask