Human Hair Production by Scalp Samples Grafted onto Nude Mice: Biochemical Data on Normal Human Hair and the Genetic Defect Trichothiodystrophy
July 1994
in “
Journal of Dermatological Science
”
New to threonine? There is a guide in the encyclopedia. Read the guide → Studysummary This study found that a laboratory model using nude mice can produce human hair follicles with amino acid compositions resembling both normal and trichothiodystrophy-affected human scalp hair over extended periods.
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The study demonstrated a laboratory model using nude mice to continuously produce human hair by grafting human scalp samples, including those from a fetus with trichothiodystrophy (TTD). The amino acid composition of hair from these grafts was similar to that of the original human scalp, with TTD samples showing a significant decrease in cysteine and moderate decreases in threonine and proline, alongside increases in other amino acids. These changes indicated a reduction in high sulfur proteins and a relative increase in keratins. The transformation of lanugo hairs into terminal hairs and normal melanization in grafts suggested that keratin and HSP gene expression, as well as melanogenesis regulation, were independent of systemic host factors. This model was proposed as a clinically relevant tool for studying normal and abnormal gene expression in hair follicles.
