This is very interesting for those that find they are losing hair. Researchers have identified the cells that directly give rise to hair as well as the mechanism that causes hair to turn gray – findings that could one day help identify possible treatments for balding and hair graying.

Researchers found that a protein called KROX20, more commonly associated with nerve development, in this case turns on in skin cells that become the hair shaft. These hair precursor, or progenitor, cells then produce a protein called stem cell factor (SCF) that the researchers showed is essential for hair pigmentation.

The research also could provide answers about why we age in general as hair graying and hair loss are among the first signs of aging.

For the full article, please go to:

UT Southwestern Medical Center. "Skin cells found at root of balding, gray hair." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 May 2017.

Journal Reference:

1. Chung-Ping Liao, Reid C. Booker, Sean J. Morrison, Lu Q. Le. Identification of hair shaft progenitors that create a niche for hair pigmentation. Genes & Development, 2017; DOI: 10.1101/gad.298703.117

#hairloss #hair #antiageing