Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein Forms Part of the Connective Tissue of Normal Human Hair Follicles
February 2011
in “
Experimental dermatology
”
TLDR A protein called COMP is part of the connective tissue in normal human hair follicles and may be important for hair health.
The document reports the discovery that cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) is selectively transcribed by connective tissue sheath (CTS) fibroblasts in normal human scalp hair follicles and is a part of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Differential microarray analysis of laser capture-microdissected hair follicles identified COMP as a new ECM component that distinguishes CTS fibroblasts from those of the dermal papilla. COMP expression was found to be hair cycle-dependent, present during telogen and early anagen phases, and degraded during catagen, except near the bulge area. The study also found a potential correlation between COMP and TGFβ2 expression in CTS fibroblasts, suggesting that COMP expression may be regulated by TGFβ signaling. The findings suggest that COMP plays a critical role in hair follicle biology and its altered expression could be linked to hair abnormalities observed in some chondrodysplasia and scleroderma patients.
