Epimorphin is a mesenchymal protein expressed in several organs and known to have an essential role in epithelial tissue organization, including hair follicle morphogenesis, in mice. Although about 90% homology has been reported between human and mouse epimorphin exon sequences, there is no information about expression and function of epimorphin in hair follicle development in humans. In order to elucidate the expression pattern of epimorphin in human hair follicle morphogenesis and to compare it with the distribution of tenascin and neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), skin samples from human foetuses of a series of estimated gestational ages (EGAs) (46-168 days EGA) were studied using monoclonal anti-epimorphin antibody MC-1, anti-tenascin antibody and anti-human NCAM antibody. Epimorphin was detected in the mesenchymal cell condensation at the pregerm stage ( 134 days EGA), dermal papilla cells expressed epimorphin as well as tenascin and NCAM. These results indicate that epimorphin expression is closely linked to developing hair follicles in human foetuses. This suggests that epimorphin may have an important part in induction of morphogenesis during human foetal hair follicle development.