Corticosterone Inhibits GAS6 to Govern Hair Follicle Stem-Cell Quiescence

    September 2021 in “ Yearbook of pediatric endocrinology ”
    Sekyu Choi, Bing Zhang, Sai Ma, Meryem Gonzalez-Celeiro, Daniel Stein, Xin Jin, Seung Tea Kim, Yuan-Lin Kang, Antoine Besnard, Amélie Rezza, Laura Grisanti, Jason D. Buenrostro, Michael Rendl, Matthias Nahrendorf, Amar Sahay, Ya‐Chieh Hsu
    TLDR Stress hormone stops a growth signal and keeps hair stem cells inactive, reducing hair growth.
    The research conducted by Harvard University reveals that the stress hormone corticosterone in mice, equivalent to cortisol in humans, suppresses the expression of Gas6, leading to hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) quiescence and reduced hair growth. This occurs particularly under chronic stress, where high corticosterone levels prolong HFSC quiescence and keep hair follicles in an extended resting phase. The study found that restoring Gas6 expression, without reducing high corticosterone levels, is enough to counteract the stress-induced inhibition and stimulate frequent HFSC regeneration cycles. This research also suggests that chronic stress may accelerate biological aging and reduce lifespan by stimulating glucocorticoid secretion and inhibiting stem cell activity.
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