Abstract
Epidermal keratinocytes are characterized by a fine balance between growth and differentiation. Primary keratinocytes of either human or murine origin provide an ideal experimental system to elucidate early signaling events involved in the control of epithelial differentiation. Transcription factors regulate keratinocyte differentiation by mediating the final steps in cell-differentiating signals. In this review we summarize the evidence that transcription factors, including activator protein 1 (AP1) AP2, Sp1/Sp3, POU factors, nuclear factor κB, and several other factors, are key regulators of keratinocyte differentiation.
