Hair Shaft Miniaturization Causes Stem Cell Depletion Through Mechanosensory Signals Mediated by a Piezo1-Calcium-TNF-α Axis
October 2021
in “
Cell Stem Cell
”
hair shaft miniaturization stem cell depletion mechanosensory signals Piezo1 calcium TNF-α androgenic alopecia genetic hypotrichosis hair follicle stem cell HFSC apoptosis mechanosensitive channel tumor necrosis factor alpha genetically modified mice hair shaft shrinkage stem cell loss mechanical signals TNF-alpha male pattern baldness genetic hair loss cell death
TLDR Hair thinning causes stem cell loss through a process involving Piezo1, calcium, and TNF-α.
The study "Hair shaft miniaturization causes stem cell depletion through mechanosensory signals mediated by a Piezo1-calcium-TNF-α axis" reveals that hair shaft miniaturization, common in aging, androgenic alopecia, and genetic hypotrichosis disorders, leads to hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) loss. This loss is due to the shrinkage of the physical niche size, causing mechanical compression of HFSCs and triggering their death (apoptosis) through the activation of the mechanosensitive channel Piezo1. The study also found that the presence of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), a cell death-promoting signal, in combination with Piezo1 activation, induced robust apoptosis. In experiments with genetically modified mice, the removal of Piezo1 significantly decreased apoptosis, suggesting it as a potential therapeutic target for preventing stem cell loss.
