The anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein regulates hair follicle stem cell function.

Maintaining the architecture, size and composition of an intact stem cell (SC) compartment is crucial for tissue homeostasis and regeneration throughout life. In mammalian skin, elevated expression of the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein has been reported in hair follicle (HF) bulge SCs (BSCs), but its impact on SC function is unknown. Here, we show that systemic exposure of mice to the Bcl-2 antagonist ABT-199/venetoclax leads to the selective loss of suprabasal BSCs (sbBSCs), thereby disrupting cyclic HF regeneration. RNAseq analysis shows that the pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins BIM and Bmf are upregulated in sbBSCs, explaining their addiction to Bcl-2 and the marked susceptibility to Bcl-2 antagonism. In line with these observations, conditional knockout of Bcl-2 in mouse epidermis elevates apoptosis in BSCs. In contrast, ectopic Bcl-2 expression blocks apoptosis during HF regression, resulting in the accumulation of quiescent SCs and delaying HF growth in mice. Strikingly, Bcl-2-induced changes in size and composition of the HF bulge accelerate tumour formation. Our study identifies a niche-instructive mechanism of Bcl-2-regulated apoptosis response that is required for SC homeostasis and tissue regeneration, and may suppress carcinogenesis.

Interfering with stem cell-specific gatekeeper functions controls tumour initiation and malignant progression of skin tumours.

Epithelial cancer constitutes a major clinical challenge and molecular mechanisms underlying the process of tumour initiation are not well understood. Here we demonstrate that hair follicle bulge stem cells (SCs) give rise to well-differentiated sebaceous tumours and show that SCs are not only crucial in tumour initiation, but are also involved in tumour plasticity and heterogeneity. Our findings reveal that SC-specific expression of mutant Lef1, which mimics mutations found in human sebaceous tumours, drives sebaceous tumour formation. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that mutant Lef1 abolishes p53 activity in SCs. Intriguingly, mutant Lef1 induces DNA damage and interferes with SC-specific gatekeeper functions normally protecting against accumulations of DNA lesions and cell loss. Thus, normal control of SC proliferation is disrupted by mutant Lef1, thereby allowing uncontrolled propagation of tumour-initiating SCs. Collectively, these findings identify underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of tumour-initiating events in tissue SCs providing a potential target for future therapeutic strategies.

Indian hedgehog controls proliferation and differentiation in skin tumorigenesis and protects against malignant progression.

Mutations in the hedgehog pathway drive the formation of tumors in many different organs, including the development of basal cell carcinoma in the skin. However, little is known about the role of epidermal Indian hedgehog (Ihh) in skin physiology. Using mouse genetics, we identified overlapping and distinct functions of Ihh in different models of epidermal tumorigenesis. Epidermal deletion of Ihh resulted in increased formation of benign squamous papilloma. Strikingly, Ihh-deficient mice showed an increase in malignant squamous cell carcinoma and developed lung and lymph node metastases. In a sebaceous gland tumor model, Ihh deficiency inhibited tumor cell differentiation. More mechanistically, IHH stimulated cell proliferation by activating the transcription factor GLI2 in human keratinocytes and human tumors. Thus, our results uncover important functions for Ihh signaling in controlling proliferation, differentiation, malignant progression, and metastasis of epithelial cancer, establishing Ihh as a gatekeeper for controlling the grade of tumor malignancy.

TCF/Lef1-mediated control of lipid metabolism regulates skin barrier function.

Defects in the function of the skin barrier are associated with a wide variety of skin diseases, many of which are not well characterized at the molecular level. Using Lef1 (lymphoid enhancer-binding factor 1) dominant-negative mutant mice, we demonstrate here that altered epidermal TCF (T cell factor)/Lef1 signaling results in severe impairment of the stratum corneum skin barrier and early postnatal death. Barrier defects were accompanied by major changes in lipid composition and ultrastructural abnormalities in assembly and extrusion of lipid lamellae of the interfollicular epidermis, as well as abnormal processing of profilaggrin. In contrast, tight-junction formation and stratified organization of the interfollicular epidermis was not obviously disturbed in Lef1 mutant mice. Molecular analysis revealed that TCF/Lef1 signaling regulates expression of lipid-modifying enzymes, such as Elovl3 and stearoyl coenzyme A desaturase 1 (SCD1), which are key regulators of barrier function. Promoter analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments indeed showed that SCD1 is a direct target of Lef1. Together, our data demonstrate that functional TCF/Lef1 signaling governs important aspects of epidermal differentiation and lipid metabolism, thereby regulating skin barrier function.

TCF/Lef1 activity controls establishment of diverse stem and progenitor cell compartments in mouse epidermis.

Mammalian epidermis consists of the interfollicular epidermis, hair follicles (HFs) and associated sebaceous glands (SGs). It is constantly renewed by stem and progenitor cell populations that have been identified and each compartment features a distinct mechanism of cellular turnover during renewal. The functional relationship between the diverse stem cell (SC) pools is not known and molecular signals regulating the establishment and maintenance of SC compartments are not well understood. Here, we performed lineage tracing experiments to demonstrate that progeny of HF bulge SCs transit through other SC compartments, suggesting a hierarchy of competent multipotent keratinocytes contributing to tissue renewal. The bulge was identified as a bipotent SC compartment that drives both cyclic regeneration of HFs and continuous renewal of SGs. Our data demonstrate that aberrant signalling by TCF/Lef1, transcription factors crucial for bulge SC activation and hair differentiation, results in development of ectopic SGs originating from bulge cells. This process of de novo SG formation is accompanied by the establishment of new progenitor niches. Detailed molecular analysis suggests the recapitulation of steps of tissue morphogenesis.

Dual role of inactivating Lef1 mutations in epidermis: tumor promotion and specification of tumor type.

The NH(2) terminus of LEF1 is frequently mutated in human sebaceous tumors. To investigate how this contributes to cancer, we did two-stage chemical carcinogenesis on K14DeltaNLef1 transgenic mice, which express NH(2)-terminally truncated Lef1 in the epidermal basal layer. Transgenic mice developed more tumors, more rapidly than littermate controls, even without exposure to tumor promoter. They developed sebaceous tumors, whereas controls developed squamous cell carcinomas. K14DeltaNLef1 epidermis failed to up-regulate p53 and p21 proteins during tumorigenesis or in response to UV irradiation, and this correlated with impaired p14ARF induction. We propose that LEF1 NH(2)-terminal mutations play a dual role in skin cancer, specifying tumor type by inhibiting Wnt signaling and acting as a tumor promoter by preventing induction of p53.