Genes that are differentially expressed in rat vibrissa follicle germinative epithelium in vivo show altered expression patterns after extended organ culture.

Hair growth depends on maintenance of signalling between the dermal papilla and the germinative epithelium (GE), from which the differentiated layers of the hair fibre originate. Because no molecular studies have been reported which concentrate specifically on GE cells either in vivo or in vitro, we prepared a cDNA library enriched for messages which were highly expressed in GE cells to identify genes that may be involved in hair growth control. Of 35 subtracted library clones sequenced, 23 shared extensive homology with previously determined cDNA sequences, including LEF-1 and id4.