Foxn1 Control of Skin Function

Barbara Gawronska-Kozak

doi:10.3390/app10165685

Abstract

The forkhead box N1 (Foxn1) transcription factor regulates biological processes of the thymus and skin. Loss-of-function mutations in Foxn1 cause the nude phenotype in humans, mice, and rats, which is characterized by hairless skin and a lack of thymus. This review focuses on the role of Foxn1 in skin biology, including epidermal, dermal, and dermal white adipose tissue (dWAT) skin components. In particular, the role of Foxn1 in the scar-forming skin wound healing process is discussed, underscoring that Foxn1 inactivity in nude mice is permissive for scar-less cutaneous wound resolution.

Highlights

Skin, as the outermost organ, creates a barrier that protects the body from the external environment while acting as a sensing and responding organ to internal and external stimuli [1,2]
The dermis is composed of collagens, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans to form the extracellular matrix (ECM), which is produced by fibroblasts, the major cellular component of the dermis [4]
We focus on forkhead box N1 (Foxn1), a transcription factor, whose expression is limited to epithelial cells of the thymus and the skin, and its function in skin physiology

Summary

Introduction

As the outermost organ, creates a barrier that protects the body from the external environment while acting as a sensing and responding organ to internal and external stimuli [1,2]. AP-1, Pparβ/δ, HoxA3, HoxD3, Foxo, Ovol1/2, and Wnt signalling, among others, have been shown to regulate intact and post-wounded skin [16,17,18,19] These transcription factors are expressed in the epidermis but have been shown to be expressed in other locations. We focus on Foxn, a transcription factor, whose expression is limited to epithelial cells of the thymus and the skin, and its function in skin physiology. The mice were characterized by a lack of visible hair and a lack of thymus, resulting in T-cell deficiency Because of their immunodeficiency, nude mice rapidly became the ideal host for xenograft studies investigating predominantly human cancerous tumors. Foxn in the skin has attracted less attention; comprehensive experiments consistently show the importance of Foxn in skin physiology [37,38,39,40]

Foxn1 Regulates Epidermis and Hair Follicle Physiology

Foxn1 as a Skin Wound Healing Regulator

Findings

Conclusions