METTL1-mediated m7G modification regulates hair follicle cycle via the HOXC13/FOXN1/DSG4 axis.

METTL1-mediated m7G modification is essential for hair follicle cycling, with Mettl1 knockout causing severe dysplasia and delayed regeneration in mice.

• Why it matters: Understanding how RNA modifications regulate tissue-specific protein synthesis can reveal mechanisms underlying hair follicle development and regeneration, addressing gaps in post-transcriptional regulation knowledge.
• What they did: The study used conditional knockout and knock-in mouse models to manipulate Mettl1 in keratinocytes, examining effects on hair follicle morphology, regeneration, and keratinocyte adhesion, and analyzed mRNA stability and signaling pathways.
• The result: Loss of METTL1 destabilizes HOXC13 mRNA, downregulating the HOXC13/FOXN1/DSG4 axis, which impairs hair follicle morphogenesis and regeneration, highlighting RNA m7G methylation as a key regulatory layer.