What's more, they identified Cas as a critical, tissue - specific target of Hh signaling, which not only plays a key role in
maintaining follicle stem cells but also assists in the diversification of their progeny.
Using a nuclear protein expressed in
follicle stem cells (FSCs), the researchers found that castor, which plays an important role in specifying which types of brain
cells are produced during embryonic development, also helps
maintain FSCs throughout the life of the animal.