title: The incidental pore: CaV1.2 and stem cell activation in quiescent hair follicles.
abstract: The hair follicle undergoes a lifelong developmental cycle that depends on the integration between activating and inhibitory signals acting to regulate and guide the proliferation and differentiation of pluripotent epithelial stem cells. The effectors and mechanisms responsible for re-entry of quiescent telogen hair follicles into the hair-producing anagen stage in mature skin remain incompletely understood. In the June 1, 2013, issue of Genes & Development, Yucel and colleagues (pp. 1217-1222) reported the unexpected finding that CaV1.2, the pore-forming subunit in a well-characterized voltage-gated, L-type calcium channel, is expressed in hair follicle stem cells and contributes to anagen re-entry but does so in a calcium flux-independent fashion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. coulombe@jhsph.edu
authors.forename: Pierre A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Coulombe
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Caterina
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type / Q000378:metabolism*; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000166:cytology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D002118:Calcium
keywords: VGCC; bulge; calcium channel; hair follicle stem cells