Extended Data Fig. 10: Interactions between systemic corticosterone and local BMP signalling.
From: Corticosterone inhibits GAS6 to govern hair follicle stem-cell quiescence
a, In situ hybridization of negative control and Gas6 mRNA expression in different conditions, including P49 (early telogen) of sham mice, P80 (late telogen) of sham mice, P49 of ADX mice, P49 of in sham mice injected with AAV-CAG-Noggin (Noggin in sham), and P49 in ADX mice after injection of AAV-CAG-Noggin (Noggin in ADX). Quantifications show in situ hybridization signal intensities in the DP. The model shows how changes in corticosterone and BMP signalling influence Gas6 levels in the DP. b, RT–qPCR of Gas6 from the DP of P49 (early telogen) and P80 (late telogen) of sham mice, and P49 of ADX mice, Noggin in sham mice, and Noggin in ADX mice. c, Hair cycle progression in sham, ADX, Noggin in sham, and Noggin in ADX mice with quantifications. Dashed circles indicate AAV-CAG-Noggin injection areas. d, Control and Pdgfra-CreER;GRfl/fl mice were subjected to chronic unpredictable stress from P55. Quantification shows the percentage of hair regrowth at P107. e, RT–qPCR of Gas6 from DP cells of control (P83) and stressed (P83) mice (left), and vehicle (P83) and corticosterone-fed (P83) mice (right). f, In situ hybridization of Gas6 in vehicle (P83, late telogen) and corticosterone-fed (P83) mice, with quantification of in situ signals in DP. g, Model of corticosterone regulation of telogen length. In normal conditions, corticosterone levels remain constant, but BMP levels naturally decrease as telogen progresses, until a point is reached at which Gas6 levels are sufficiently increased so as to drive HFSCs out of quiescence. This dynamic can be altered by changing either the corticosterone level or the BMP level. If corticosterone levels decrease, the sum of inhibitory cues on Gas6 falls below a critical threshold sooner in telogen, leading to increased Gas6 levels and precocious anagen entry. In the case of stress, age, or corticosterone feeding, increased corticosterone levels reduce Gas6 levels to below the critical threshold, leading to an extended telogen. Dashed lines, hair follicles; solid lines, DP. Scale bars (a, f), 50 μm. Data are mean ± s.e.m. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001, NS, not significant. For exact P values, see Source Data. For statistics, sample sizes and numbers of replications, see Methods.
