Fig. 4

The Notch signalling pathway in HFSCs. a Without the activation of Notch, the NICD does not enter the nucleus, and CSL might connect with ubiquitous corepressors (Co-R) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) to repress target gene transcription. b In the Notch pathway, a fully functional Notch receptor binds to a ligand (Dll1-4 or Jag1-2) presented by a neighbouring cell, resulting in a conformational change of the receptor that expose the recognition site for cleavage by ADAM and γ-secretase, leading to the release of the active Notch intracellular domain (NICD). Subsequently, NICD is translocated to the nucleus, leading to the formation of a complex, the DNA-binding protein CSL (CBF1/RBPjκ/Su(H)/lag-1)/additional coactivators (Co-A)/mastermind (MAM), which induces the transcription of target genes. c Notch signalling plays a vital role in the activation, proliferation, deafferentation of HFSCs and metabolite generation. The T-shaped lines indicate inhibitory interactions involved in this pathway, and the solid arrows indicate activating interactions