# WNT Signals in Skin and Hair Development and Growth

> **NIH NIH R37** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2021 · $361,713

## Abstract

Paracrine Wnt ligands participate in cell-cell communication by activating several different signaling pathways
including the WNT/β-catenin pathway which stabilizes cytoplasmic β-catenin allowing it to enter the nucleus
and activate transcription in partnership with LEF/TCF transcription factors, and non-canonical pathways that
control epithelial planar cell polarity, the actin cytoskeleton, cell movements, and cell adhesion. These
pathways can interact with each other, and perform critical functions in skin and hair follicle development and
disease. However, the mechanisms by which signaling is limited and controlled to provide proper patterning of
hair follicle development, and the ligands, receptors and downstream components that provide specificity to
Wnt functions in the skin are incompletely identified. Delineating the components of these pathways and
dissecting their mechanisms of action will be critical for developing strategies for skin and hair follicle
regeneration in cases of congenital absence or loss, and for the treatment of hair growth disorders and
epidermal tumors. To determine the mechanisms by which Wnt/β-catenin signaling is controlled and patterned
in the skin, uncover novel functions of non-canonical Wnt signaling, and identify receptors mediating these
pathways, we will: (1) Identify secreted inhibitors that limit WNT/β-catenin pathway activity and pattern hair
follicle development in embryonic skin; (2) Determine whether the non-canonical Wnt pathway components
Daam1 and Daam2 act downstream of Wnt5a and control proliferation and hair follicle stem cell maintenance
by regulating the actin cytoskeleton; (3) Test the hypothesis that the closely related Wnt receptors Fzd1 and
Fzd2 mediate both β-catenin-dependent and non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways in developing and hair
follicles and epidermis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10144001
- **Project number:** 5R37AR047709-20
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah E. Millar
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $361,713
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10144001

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10144001, WNT Signals in Skin and Hair Development and Growth (5R37AR047709-20). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10144001. Licensed CC0.

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