Deficiency in Nucleotide Excision Repair Family Gene Activity, Especially ERCC3, Is Associated with Non-Pigmented Hair Fiber Growth

The study identified that non-pigmented hair follicles exhibited significantly lower expression of nucleotide excision repair (NER) family genes, particularly ERCC3, compared to pigmented hair follicles. This was confirmed through microarray analysis, quantitative PCR, and immunohistochemistry. Reducing ERCC3 expression in human melanocytes in vitro decreased their ability to produce tyrosinase, suggesting that impaired NER gene function is linked to reduced melanin production and potentially melanocyte cell death. These findings provided new insights into the regulation of melanogenesis.