@article{eb16014fe7854d039638b85543653a42,
title = "Identification of hair shaft progenitors that create a niche for hair pigmentation",
abstract = "Hair differentiates from follicle stem cells through progenitor cells in the matrix. In contrast to stem cells in the bulge, the identities of the progenitors and the mechanisms by which they regulate hair shaft components are poorly understood. Hair is also pigmented by melanocytes in the follicle. However, the niche that regulates follicular melanocytes is not well characterized. Here, we report the identification of hair shaft progenitors in the matrix that are differentiated from follicular epithelial cells expressing transcription factor KROX20. Depletion of Krox20 lineage cells results in arrest of hair growth, confirming the critical role of KROX20+ cells as antecedents of structural cells found in hair. Expression of stem cell factor (SCF) by these cells is necessary for the maintenance of differentiated melanocytes and for hair pigmentation. Our findings reveal the identities of hair matrix progenitors that regulate hair growth and pigmentation, partly by creating an SCF-dependent niche for follicular melanocytes.",
keywords = "Hair follicle stem cell, Hair matrix, Hair pigmentation, Hair shaft progenitor cell, KROX20, Stem cell factor (SCF)",
author = "Liao, {Chung Ping} and Booker, {Reid C.} and Morrison, {Sean J.} and Le, {Lu Q.}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank all members of the Le laboratory and K.B. Yancey for helpful suggestions and discussions, Y. Wang for technical assistance, and P.R. Bergstresser for critical review of the manuscript. We also thank J.E. Harris and V.J. Hearing for sharing K14-Scf mice and the anti-DCT antibody, respectively. C.-P.L. is a recipient of the Career Development Award from the Dermatology Foundation and the Young Investigator Award from the Child-ren{\textquoteright}s Tumor Foundation. L.Q.L. holds a Career Award for Medical Scientists from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Thomas L. Shield M.D. Professorship in Dermatology. S.J.M. is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, the Mary McDermott Cook Chair in Pediatric Genetics, and the director of the Hamon Laboratory for Stem Cells and Cancer. This work was supported by funding from National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant number R01 CA166593 and Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant number U54 CA 196519 to L.Q.L., and NIH grant numbers R37 AG024945 and R01 HL097760 to S.J.M. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 Liao et al.",
year = "2017",
month = apr,
day = "15",
doi = "10.1101/gad.298703.117",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "31",
pages = "744--756",
journal = "Genes and Development",
issn = "0890-9369",
publisher = "Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press",
number = "8",
}