Transcriptome Analysis Reveals an Inhibitory Effect of Dihydrotestosterone-Treated 2D- and 3D-Cultured Dermal Papilla Cells on Hair Follicle Growth

September 2021 in “ Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology ”

Yufan Zhang, Junfei Huang, Danlan Fu, Zhen Liu, Hailin Wang, Jin Wang, Qian Qu, Kaitao Li, Zhexiang Fan, Yong Miao

dihydrotestosterone DHT dermal papilla cells hair follicle growth Wnt/β-catenin signaling MMP9 CXCL-8 IL-1β IL-6 IL-17 signaling pathway chemokines cell chemotaxis Wnt signaling IL-17 pathway

Studysummary This study found that 3D-cultured dermal papilla cells more accurately mimic in vivo conditions compared to 2D cultures, enhancing our understanding of molecular mechanisms in androgen-induced alopecia. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

The study conducted transcriptome analysis on 2D- and 3D-cultured dermal papilla cells treated with dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The results showed that DHT treatment inhibited hair follicle growth by downregulating genes associated with hair growth and upregulating genes related to hair loss. The study also identified potential therapeutic targets for hair loss treatment, including genes involved in Wnt/β-catenin signaling. The researchers found that DHT-treated cells showed a significant decrease in the expression of genes related to hair growth and an increase in the expression of genes related to hair loss. The study also found that the 3D model was more representative of the in vivo situation than the 2D model. The study identified 10 hub genes, four of which (MMP9, CXCL-8, IL-1β, and IL-6) were enriched in the IL-17 signaling pathway. The findings suggest that DHT may induce Dermal Papilla Cells (DPCs) to secrete related chemokines and produce cell chemotaxis, inhibiting hair follicle growth.

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