
==== Front
bioRxiv
BIORXIV
bioRxiv
2692-8205
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

10.1101/2024.09.13.612256
preprint
2
Article
ARHGEF3 Regulates Hair Follicle Morphogenesis
Kalyanakrishnan Krithika
Beaudin Amy
Jetté Alexandra http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5423-2374

Ghezelbash Sarah
Hotea Diana Ioana
Chen Jie http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7887-3747

Lefrançois Philippe http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2939-7956

Laurin Mélanie http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7198-3257

15 9 2024
2024.09.13.612256https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
http://biorxiv.org/lookup/doi/10.1101/2024.09.13.612256
nihpp-2024.09.13.612256.pdf
ABSTRACT

During embryogenesis, cells arrange into precise patterns that enable tissues and organs to develop specialized functions. Despite its critical importance, the molecular choreography behind these collective cellular behaviors remains elusive, posing a major challenge in developmental biology and limiting advances in regenerative medicine. By using the mouse hair follicle as a mini-organ system to study the formation of bud-like structures during embryonic development, our work uncovers a crucial role for the Rho GTPase regulator ARHGEF3 in hair follicle morphogenesis. We demonstrate that Arhgef3 expression is upregulated at the onset of hair follicle placode formation. In Arhgef3 knockout animals, we observed defects in placode compaction, leading to impaired hair follicle downgrowth. Through cell culture models, we show that ARHGEF3 promotes F-actin accumulation at the cell cortex and P-cadherin enrichment at cell-cell junctions. Collectively, our study identifies ARHGEF3 as a new regulator of cell shape rearrangements during hair placode morphogenesis, warranting further exploration of its role in other epithelial appendages that arise from similar developmental processes.
==== Body
pmc
