1363 Hair follicle growth and pigmentation during ageing

The document discusses the role of the dermal papilla (DP) in hair follicle growth and pigmentation, particularly during aging. The researchers developed new genetic tools to isolate and target the DP, melanocyte, and stem cell compartments within the hair follicle. They discovered that the DP not only induces hair growth but also strongly regulates hair follicle pigmentation. This was demonstrated by conditionally knocking down genes in the DP compartment, which resulted in a pigment switch in the pelage of conditional knockout (CKO) mice. Additionally, the study explored the common consequences of skin aging, such as hair loss and pigmentation disorders, by using novel senescence biomarkers to identify senescent cells within different compartments of mouse and human skin. By inducing senescence within different hair follicle compartments in vivo, they aimed to establish causality for hair loss and de-pigmentation during aging. The ultimate goal of this research is to identify mechanisms of hair loss and de-pigmentation to aid in the development of new treatments.