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Published on: February 26, 2015
TNF superfamily in skin appendage development
1Developmental Biology Program, Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 56, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. marja.mikkola@helsinki.fi
Abstract:
The development of skin appendages such as hairs, teeth, and mammary glands is regulated by signaling molecules of the Wnt, FGF, TGFbeta, and Hedgehog pathways. Last decade has also revealed a pivotal role for the TNF family ligand ectodysplasin (Eda) in multiple steps of epithelial appendage morphogenesis, from initiation to differentiation. Surprisingly, other members of the TNF superfamily such as Rank ligand, lymphotoxins, and TNF have recently been linked with specific aspects of skin appendage biology including branching of the mammary gland, hair shaft formation, and hair follicle cycling. This review focuses on the novel discoveries of Eda and other TNF related cytokines in skin appendage development made since the previous review on this topic in Cytokine and Growth Factor reviews in 2003.
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