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Probably been discussed before, but just in case it hasn’t, here’s something I read on folliclethought.
COL17A1 and Hair Follicle Aging
A major key to understanding the process of hair follicle miniaturization has been discovered and could lead to new therapies aimed at keeping healthy hair follicles cycling. Emi Nishimura and Hiroyuki Matsumura headed the team of researchers at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan to complete this study. The findings were released in an article for Science magazine earlier this month. The article explains that Nishimura et al. examined hair follicle stem-cell growth cycles in mice which lead them to notice a depletion of a protein, Collagen 17A1, in older mice/follicles. The lack of COL17A1 in older hair follicles is caused by age related DNA damage. When there is a lack of COL17A1 present, the hair follicle stem cells turn into skin-producing cells also known as keratinocytes. Thus, when the hair follicle stem cells turn into skin instead of turning into cells that feed hair follicles, the hair follicles of the scalp become smaller. And there you have it.
So, how is this useful? The main idea here is that age related DNA damage leads to a lack of COL17A1. This would lead me to believe there are three useful avenues to pursue for actualizing this research into a treatment. 1) Prevent DNA from being damaged. 2) Add a supply of COL17A1 to the scalp. 3) Do both. I was surprised to read that Collagen 17A1 is a protein. This is interesting because proteins can easily be synthesized (created in a lab). I would assume that the idea of administering COL17A1 to the scalp through injection or topically has already been pondered by the researchers.
Foxc1 also in the Mix
The COL17A1 news was recently coupled with the release of research done by Rui Yi and colleagues at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Yi, a biologist at UCB, found that a transcription factor known as Foxc1 also plays a role in the hair follicle growth cycle. Through research done on mice, Yi and colleagues found that active hair follicle stem cells express Foxc1 to pause their growth cycle and go into a dormant stage. When the team bread mice with the Foxc1 removed from the mice biology, the hair follicle stem cells did not go into a dormant state and kept growing. Yi noted that by interfering with Foxc1 or removing it completely there is the potential to induce continued hair cell proliferation which leads to hair growth.
COL17A1 and Hair Follicle Aging
A major key to understanding the process of hair follicle miniaturization has been discovered and could lead to new therapies aimed at keeping healthy hair follicles cycling. Emi Nishimura and Hiroyuki Matsumura headed the team of researchers at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan to complete this study. The findings were released in an article for Science magazine earlier this month. The article explains that Nishimura et al. examined hair follicle stem-cell growth cycles in mice which lead them to notice a depletion of a protein, Collagen 17A1, in older mice/follicles. The lack of COL17A1 in older hair follicles is caused by age related DNA damage. When there is a lack of COL17A1 present, the hair follicle stem cells turn into skin-producing cells also known as keratinocytes. Thus, when the hair follicle stem cells turn into skin instead of turning into cells that feed hair follicles, the hair follicles of the scalp become smaller. And there you have it.
So, how is this useful? The main idea here is that age related DNA damage leads to a lack of COL17A1. This would lead me to believe there are three useful avenues to pursue for actualizing this research into a treatment. 1) Prevent DNA from being damaged. 2) Add a supply of COL17A1 to the scalp. 3) Do both. I was surprised to read that Collagen 17A1 is a protein. This is interesting because proteins can easily be synthesized (created in a lab). I would assume that the idea of administering COL17A1 to the scalp through injection or topically has already been pondered by the researchers.
Foxc1 also in the Mix
The COL17A1 news was recently coupled with the release of research done by Rui Yi and colleagues at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Yi, a biologist at UCB, found that a transcription factor known as Foxc1 also plays a role in the hair follicle growth cycle. Through research done on mice, Yi and colleagues found that active hair follicle stem cells express Foxc1 to pause their growth cycle and go into a dormant stage. When the team bread mice with the Foxc1 removed from the mice biology, the hair follicle stem cells did not go into a dormant state and kept growing. Yi noted that by interfering with Foxc1 or removing it completely there is the potential to induce continued hair cell proliferation which leads to hair growth.
