Abstract: Objective To investigate the expression of T cell factor-4 （TCF4） gene in dermal papilla cells of hair follicles. Methods The expression of TCF4 gene was examined by in situ hybridization in scalp tissues of patients with alopecia areata and normal human controls. The protein and mRNA expressions of TCF4 were detected by immunochemistry and RT-PCR method, respectively, in aggregated and non-aggregated human dermal papilla cells. Results As shown by in situ hybridization, TCF4 gene was expressed in the dermal papilla cells from healthy controls, but not in those from patients with alopecia areata. Both cell immunochemistry and RT-PCR showed that TCF4 gene expressed in aggregated dermal papilla cells, but not in non-aggregated dermal papilla cells. Conclusions TCF4 gene is expressed in dermal papilla cells. The growth cycle of follicles may be related to wnt signal.