NFI Transcription Factors Govern Stem Cell Chromatin Accessibility and Guard Against Irreversible Hair Loss [bulk RNA-seq]

Tissue homeostasis and regeneration rely upon resident stem cells (SCs), whose behavior is regulated through niche-dependent crosstalk. The mechanisms underlying SC maintenance are still unfolding. Here, using hair follicles (HFs) as model and spatiotemporal gene ablation in mice, we uncover transcription factors (TFs) NFIB and NFIX as guardians of the process. Complete NFI ablation causes SC depletion and hair loss which resembles irreversible alopecia in humans, who intriguingly also display reduced NFI. Through single cell transcriptomics, ATAC- and ChIP-seq profiling, we uncover a key role for NFIB/NFIX in governing chromatin accessibility of HFSC master TFs . When NFIB/NFIX are genetically removed, the stemness epigenetic landscape is lost, as enhancers driving HFSC identity are decommissioned and those of epidermal differentiation and wound-repair are de-repressed. Together, our findings expose NFIB/NFIX as crucial rheostats of tissue homeostasis, functioning to safeguard the SC epigenome from a breach in lineage confinement that otherwise triggers irreversible tissue degeneration.