UNSW Embryo- Development of Skin, Hair and Nails Selected References Back to Skin Notes page 1 / page 2 Page Link: Articles Reviews Books See Also: Links: Page 2 Page 1 PubMed Link About PubMed Note: A Selected List of References for Skin, Hair and Nails Development from PubMed May 1999. Internet access computers will be able to get abstract directly from PubMed (when available) by clicking Author's name below.

Articles Hair Roles for PDGF-A and sonic hedgehog in development of mesenchymal components of the hair follicle. Karlsson L, Bondjers C, Betsholtz C Development 1999 Jun;126(12):2611-21 Skin appendages, such as hair, develop as a result of complex reciprocal signaling between epithelial and mesenchymal cells. These interactions are not well understood at the molecular level. Platelet-derived growth factor-A (PDGF-A) is expressed in the developing epidermis and hair follicle epithelium, and its receptor PDGF-Ralpha is expressed in associated mesenchymal structures. Here we have characterized the skin and hair phenotypes of mice carrying a null mutation in the PDGF-A gene. Postnatal PDGF-A-/- mice developed thinner dermis, misshapen hair follicles, smaller dermal papillae, abnormal dermal sheaths and thinner hair, compared with wild-type siblings. BrdU labeling showed reduced cell proliferation in the dermis and in the dermal sheaths of PDGF-A-/- skin. PDGF-A-/- skin transplantation to nude mice led to abnormal hair formation, reproducing some of the features of the skin phenotype of PDGF-A-/- mice. Taken together, expression patterns and mutant phenotypes suggest that epidermal PDGF-A has a role in stimulating the proliferation of dermal mesenchymal cells that may contribute to the formation of dermal papillae, mesenchymal sheaths and dermal fibroblasts. Finally, we show that sonic hedgehog (shh)-/- mouse embryos have disrupted formation of dermal papillae. Such embryos fail to form pre-papilla aggregates of postmitotic PDGF-Ralpha-positive cells, suggesting that shh has a critical role in the assembly of the dermal papilla. Essential role for Sonic hedgehog during hair follicle morphogenesis. Chiang C, Swan RZ, Grachtchouk M, Bolinger M, Litingtung Y, Robertson EK, Cooper MK, Gaffield W, Westphal H, Beachy PA, Dlugosz AA Dev Biol 1999 Jan 1;205(1):1-9 Reviews   Books