@article {cite-key, title = {A dermal HOX transcriptional program regulates site-specific epidermal fate.}, journal = {Genes Dev}, volume = {22}, number = {3}, year = {2008}, month = {Feb}, pages = {303{\textendash}307}, address = {Program in Epithelial Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA.}, abstract = {Reciprocal epithelial-mesenchymal interactions shape site-specific development of skin. Here we show that site-specific HOX expression in fibroblasts is cell-autonomous and epigenetically maintained. The distal-specific gene HOXA13 is continually required to maintain the distal-specific transcriptional program in adult fibroblasts, including expression of WNT5A, a morphogen required for distal development. The ability of distal fibroblasts to induce epidermal keratin 9, a distal-specific gene, is abrogated by depletion of HOXA13, but rescued by addition of WNT5A. Thus, maintenance of appropriate HOX transcriptional program in adult fibroblasts may serve as a source of positional memory to differentially pattern the epithelia during homeostasis and regeneration.}, issn = {0890-9369 (Print); 0890-9369 (Linking)}, doi = {10.1101/gad.1610508}, author = {Rinn, John L and Wang, Jordon K and Allen, Nancy and Brugmann, Samantha A and Mikels, Amanda J and Liu, Helen and Ridky, Todd W and Stadler, H Scott and Nusse, Roel and Helms, Jill A and Chang, Howard Y} }