Characterizing the phenotype of murine epidermal progenitor cells: complementary whole-mount visualization and flow cytometry strategies.

The epidermis and its appendages, the hair follicle and sebaceous gland, have the capacity to constantly regenerate throughout adult life. Postnatal hair follicles undergo a cyclic mode of tissue homeostasis, defined by periods of growth, degeneration, and rest. A multipotent population of stem cells residing within the hair follicle bulge not only generates the hair lineages during each hair cycle, but also transiently contributes to the repair of epidermis following wounding.

Endodermal expression of Nkx6 genes depends differentially on Pdx1.

Nkx family members are essential for normal development of many different tissues such as the heart, lungs, thyroid, prostate, and CNS. Here, we describe the endodermal expression pattern of three Nkx6 family genes of which two shows conserved expression in the early pancreatic epithelium. In chicken, Nkx6.

NKX6 transcription factor activity is required for alpha- and beta-cell development in the pancreas.

In diabetic individuals, the imbalance in glucose homeostasis is caused by loss or dysfunction of insulin-secreting beta-cells of the pancreatic islets. As successful generation of insulin-producing cells in vitro could constitute a cure for diabetes, recent studies have explored the molecular program that underlies beta-cell formation. From these studies, the homeodomain transcription factor NKX6.