Roles of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in hair follicle formation and hair growth

Abstract

The morphogenesis of hair follicles is complicated. Many signaling pathways and molecules participate in hair follicle cycling and growth, of which, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is the most deeply studied, however, how it regulates hair follicle development, formation, cycling and regeneration has not been fully elucidated. The authors compare the regulatory effects of different signaling molecules and regulating factors on hair follicle growth and hair follicle stem cells, with a focus on the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, aiming to reveal the action mechanisms of the pathway in the development of embryonic hair follicles, growth cycle of mature hair follicles, and proliferation and differentiation of hair follicle stem cells, to facilitate the establishment of an efficient assay for hair reconstitution, and eventually to benefit the treatment of hair follicle-related diseases. Key words: Hair follicle; Hair; Signal transduction; Stem cells; Wnt signaling pathway; beta Catenin