Stabilization of Hemidesmosomal Proteins: A Possible Key Contributor to Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway Action in the Skin

Recently, accumulating evidence showed that collagen XVII, a transmembrane protein in hemidesmosomes, exhibits essential roles not only in cellular attachment but also in motility and development. Kosumi et al. determined that collagen XVII is stabilized by activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling. This novel mechanism of collagen XVII stabilization through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway may be involved in physiological or pathological events in the skin.