This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Okada, T. Articles by Doi, K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Okada, T. Articles by Doi, K.

(American Journal of Pathology. 2006;168:1119-1133.)
© 2006 American Society for Investigative Pathology

The Critical Roles of Serum/Glucocorticoid-Regulated Kinase 3 (SGK3) in the Hair Follicle Morphogenesis and Homeostasis

The Allelic Difference Provides Novel Insights into Hair Follicle Biology

Taro Okada^*, Yoshiyuki Ishii, Kentaro Masujin, Akira Yasoshima^*, Junichiro Matsuda, Atsuo Ogura^¶, Hiroyuki Nakayama^*, Tetsuo Kunieda and Kunio Doi^*

From the Departments of Veterinary Pathology^* and Biomedical Science, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo; the Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama; the Department of Veterinary Sciences, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo; and RIKEN Bioresource Center,^¶ Tsukuba, Japan

Mutation in the serum/glucocorticoid regulated kinase 3 (Sgk3, also known as Sgkl or Cisk) gene causes both defective hair follicle development and altered hair cycle in mice. We examined Sgk3-mutant YPC mice (YPC-Sgk3^ypc/Sgk3^ypc) and found expression of SGK3 protein with altered function. In the hair follicles of YPC mice, the aberrant differentiation and poor proliferation of hair matrix keratinocytes during the period of postnatal hair follicle development resulted in a complete lack of hair medulla and weak hair. Surprisingly, the length of postnatal hair follicle development and anagen term was shown to be dramatically shortened. Also, phosphorylation of GSK3ß at Ser9 and the nuclear accumulation of ß-catenin were reduced in the developing YPC hair follicle, suggesting that phosphorylation of GSK3ß and WNT-ß-catenin pathway takes part in the SGK3-dependent regulation of hair follicle development. Moreover, the above-mentioned features, especially the hair-cycling pattern, differ from those in other Sgk3-null mutant strains, suggesting that the various patterns of dysfunction in the SGK3 protein may result in phenotypic variation. Our results indicate that SGK3 is a very important and characteristic molecule that plays a critical role in both hair follicle morphogenesis and hair cycling.