Mitochondrial Deoxyguanosine Kinase Depletion Induced ROS Causes Melanocyte Stem Cell Exhaustion and Hair Greying

    June 2025 in “ Cell Regeneration ”
    Kaiyao Zhou, G E Wu, Rui Dong, Changhao Kan, Lin Xie, Lijuan Gao, Hua Li, Jianwei Sun, Wenxiu Ning
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    TLDR Lack of a certain enzyme causes hair to grey early by damaging stem cells, but an antioxidant can help prevent this.
    This study examines the role of mitochondrial deoxyguanosine kinase (DGUOK) in hair pigmentation, finding that its depletion leads to premature hair greying due to the loss of melanocyte stem cells (MeSCs) and melanocytes. In Dguok knockout mice, decreased expression of mitochondrial DNA-encoded genes and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels result in MeSC apoptosis. Treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC), an ROS inhibitor, restores MeSCs and reduces hair depigmentation. The research underscores the importance of DGUOK in maintaining mitochondrial function and hair pigmentation, suggesting potential therapeutic strategies for preventing hair greying.
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