Hair growth induction: roles of growth factors.

The hair follicles of eutheria arise during fetal life as a consequence of interactions between the cells and matrices of the epidermis and mesenchyme. In some instances, communication may be mediated by growth factors, receptors, and similar molecules. We have focused on epidermal growth factor and fibroblast growth factor, since both are expressed in skin, where they are presumed to perform regulatory functions. In sheep, EGF receptors are located on skin epithelia. An EGF-like protein was detected by immunochemistry in fetal epidermis but was not associated with the cells of developing wool follicles. During subsequent development the molecule was associated with the sebaceous glands and the outer root sheath. If the ORS may be considered a source of stem cells for the proliferating matrix, EGF may act as a differentiation factor, determining cell fates by cell contact mechanisms similar to those in invertebrates. FGF was localized in the epidermis and basal lamina and in follicle plugs during morphogenesis. At maturity, FGF was found in the ORS and in the region of the basal lamina of the follicle bulb, suggesting a role in bulb proliferation and fiber growth.