Hair follicle aging is driven by transepidermal elimination of stem cells via COL17A1 proteolysis

[Squeegee 2.0]

Abstract​

Hair thinning and loss are prominent aging phenotypes but have an unknown mechanism. We show that hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) aging causes the stepwise miniaturization of hair follicles and eventual hair loss in wild-type mice and in humans. In vivo fate analysis of HFSCs revealed that the DNA damage response in HFSCs causes proteolysis of type XVII collagen (COL17A1/BP180), a critical molecule for HFSC maintenance, to trigger HFSC aging, characterized by the loss of stemness signatures and by epidermal commitment. Aged HFSCs are cyclically eliminated from the skin through terminal epidermal differentiation, thereby causing hair follicle miniaturization. The aging process can be recapitulated by Col17a1 deficiency and prevented by the forced maintenance of COL17A1 in HFSCs, demonstrating that COL17A1 in HFSCs orchestrates the stem cell-centric aging program of the epithelial mini-organ.

Hair follicle aging is driven by transepidermal elimination of stem cells via COL17A1 proteolysis - PubMed

Hair thinning and loss are prominent aging phenotypes but have an unknown mechanism. We show that hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) aging causes the stepwise miniaturization of hair follicles and eventual hair loss in wild-type mice and in humans. In vivo fate analysis of HFSCs revealed that the...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[inmyhead]

Abstract​

Hair thinning and loss are prominent aging phenotypes but have an unknown mechanism. We show that hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) aging causes the stepwise miniaturization of hair follicles and eventual hair loss in wild-type mice and in humans. In vivo fate analysis of HFSCs revealed that the DNA damage response in HFSCs causes proteolysis of type XVII collagen (COL17A1/BP180), a critical molecule for HFSC maintenance, to trigger HFSC aging, characterized by the loss of stemness signatures and by epidermal commitment. Aged HFSCs are cyclically eliminated from the skin through terminal epidermal differentiation, thereby causing hair follicle miniaturization. The aging process can be recapitulated by Col17a1 deficiency and prevented by the forced maintenance of COL17A1 in HFSCs, demonstrating that COL17A1 in HFSCs orchestrates the stem cell-centric aging program of the epithelial mini-organ.

Hair follicle aging is driven by transepidermal elimination of stem cells via COL17A1 proteolysis - PubMed

Hair thinning and loss are prominent aging phenotypes but have an unknown mechanism. We show that hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) aging causes the stepwise miniaturization of hair follicles and eventual hair loss in wild-type mice and in humans. In vivo fate analysis of HFSCs revealed that the...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

So did you dig into this ? Perhaps something we could use?

 

[partysnacks]

Looks like apocynin should help.

Sci-Hub | Stem cell competition orchestrates skin homeostasis and ageing. Nature, 568(7752), 344–350 | 10.1038/s41586-019-1085-7

Because the overexpression of COL17A1 facilitates skin wound healing, we searched for chemical compounds that would induce COL17A1 expression in keratinocytes in vitro. As shown in Extended Data Fig. 9i–l, we identified two chemicals—Y27632 and apocynin—that induced COL17A1 expression in keratinocytes

Although this all seems to be in relation to HF aging that's not necessarily related to male pattern baldness