Powell B C, Nesci A, Rogers G E
Department of Biochemistry, University of Adelaide, Australia.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1991 Dec 26;642:1-20. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1991.tb24376.x.
In hair growth, as the follicle bulb cells rapidly differentiate into either cortical or cuticle hair keratinocytes, about 50-100 keratin genes are transcriptionally activated. However, this complexity can be reduced to several, highly conserved gene families. In studying the regulation of keratin gene expression in the hair follicle we have isolated genes from most of these families and have examined their expression patterns by in situ hybridization. In the cortical keratinocytes striking patterns of keratin gene expression exist, suggesting that different transcriptional hierarchies operate in the various cell types. Comparisons of the keratin gene promoter regions indicates conserved sequence motifs that could be involved in determining these cell specificities. Similarly, we have isolated related sheep and human cuticle keratin genes and find conserved DNA motifs and expression patterns in cuticle cell differentiation. Additionally, the expression of sheep wool follicle IF and high-sulfur keratin genes in transgenic mice suggests that the regulatory DNA elements and proteins of hair keratin genes are functionally conserved between mammals.
在毛发生长过程中，随着毛囊球细胞迅速分化为皮质或角质层毛发角质形成细胞，约50 - 100个角蛋白基因被转录激活。然而，这种复杂性可归结为几个高度保守的基因家族。在研究毛囊中角蛋白基因表达的调控时，我们从这些家族中的大多数分离出了基因，并通过原位杂交检测了它们的表达模式。在皮质角质形成细胞中存在着显著的角蛋白基因表达模式，这表明不同的转录层次在各种细胞类型中发挥作用。对角蛋白基因启动子区域的比较表明存在保守的序列基序，这些基序可能参与决定这些细胞特异性。同样，我们分离出了相关的绵羊和人类角质层角蛋白基因，并在角质层细胞分化中发现了保守的DNA基序和表达模式。此外，绵羊毛囊中间丝和高硫角蛋白基因在转基因小鼠中的表达表明，毛发角蛋白基因的调控DNA元件和蛋白质在哺乳动物之间具有功能保守性。
