Involvement of the Edar Signaling in the Control of Hair Follicle Involution (Catagen)

The study demonstrated that Edar signaling played a crucial role in the regulation of hair follicle (HF) cycling, particularly during the transition from anagen to catagen, by inhibiting apoptosis in the outer root sheath keratinocytes. Disruption of Edar signaling, either through genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition, accelerated catagen and increased apoptosis markers like TUNEL-positive cells and activated caspase 3. The findings suggested that Edar signaling might control the expression of XIAP, an anti-apoptotic protein, indicating potential therapeutic applications of Edar agonists/antagonists for treating hair growth abnormalities.