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New Hair in 15 Days Could Now Be A Possibility Say Researchers

by Medindia Content Team on May 17 2004 12:21 PM

Adult hair follicles undergo a growth cycle consisting of periods of growth (anagen), regression (catagen), and rest (telogen). Researchers demonstrated that the brief activation of ß-catenin in telogen-phase adult hair follicles is sufficient to initiate the anagen phase. Scientists have discovered that the transient activation of a protein called ß-catenin can induce new hair growth.

Previous work has implicated Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in embryonic hair follicle development, postnatal follicle growth and maturation, and skin tumor formation. This new work provides important insight into the role of ß-catenin as a trigger for activating the normal growth of adult hair follicles.

Researchers generated transgenic mice expressing an inactive version of ß-catenin in their skin and hair follicles. Upon topical treatment of the mice with a chemical called 4-OHT, the exogenous ß-catenin protein is activated. Thus, through the cutaneous application of 4-OHT, the researchers could transiently activate ß-catenin signaling at will.

To test the effect of ß-catenin signaling on adult hair growth, the researchers shaved the backs of telogen-phase transgenic and wild-type mice, and then applied 4-OHT once. Within 15 days, the transgenic mice grew new hair, whereas wild-type still had none . Furthermore, the new hair was histologically indistinguishable from normal hair, and progressed through the remainder of the growth cycle in stereotypical fashion.

It was found that brief activation of ß-catenin in resting hair follicles is sufficient to trigger a normal follicle growth phase, followed by the expected regression and resting phases. ß-catenin acts specifically on epithelial hair follicle progenitor cells, triggering a highly coordinated program of proliferation followed by expansion into the multiple differentiated cell types that comprise the mature, growing hair follicle. In contrast to the effects of transient and regulated beta-catenin activation, prolonged activation of ß-catenin leads to uncontrolled growth and gross distortion of the hair follicle structure, underscoring the importance of precisely controlled signaling activity for normal follicle regeneration.


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