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Developmental biology

A hairy situation

Nature volume 422, pages 272–273 (2003)Cite this article

A key step in hair-follicle development is the rearrangement of epithelial stem cells. It seems that reduced production of an adhesion protein, through the concerted action of two signalling pathways, is crucial for this process.

During development, the formation of an epithelial bud is the first evidence that some stem cells of the primitive epidermis have been instructed to form a hair follicle, sweat gland or mammary gland. To reach this new spatial arrangement, epithelial cells must first change the way in which they interact with their neighbours, and break their attachments to the underlying matrix. Only then can they move about to take up a new rearrangement and overall tissue shape. Cells achieve this by adjusting their repertoire of cell–matrix and cell–cell adhesion molecules.

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Figure 1: Making a bud.

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  1. the Department of Experimental Surgery, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Vaud University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, 1011, Switzerland

    Yann Barrandon

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  1. Yann Barrandon
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Correspondence to Yann Barrandon.

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Barrandon, Y. A hairy situation. Nature 422, 272–273 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/422272a

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/422272a

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