Dermal fibroblast expression of lef1 is critical to normal skin and hair development and regenerative wound healing in mice

Fibroblasts are the main cell type in the dermis and are major contributors to the wound healing process. During skin development, papillary fibroblasts from the upper dermis uniquely give rise to specialized hair follicle-supporting fibroblasts like the dermal papillae, which controls hair development and cycling, as well as the arrector pili muscles that grant hair its contractile functions. Neonatal papillary fibroblasts are also the only fibroblasts which are supportive of hair follicle regeneration, which we have previously shown to occur naturally in neonatal wound healing and in chamber grafting experiments in adult wounds.