A Multi-Omics Approach to Identifying Factors Involved in Hair Follicle Growth and Development

    N. Pantelireis, E. Wang, T. Tien, A. Ramasamy, G. Oguz, C. Higgins, C. Clavel
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    Studysummary This study explores how chromatin differences between dermal papilla cells and papillary fibroblasts contribute to hair follicle inductivity and investigates the regulatory changes in androgenic alopecia.
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    The study investigates the role of mesenchymal hair follicle (HF) cells in controlling hair growth and development. The researchers developed an in vitro model to compare dermal papilla (DP) cells and Papillary fibroblasts (PFi), hypothesizing that chromatin level differences between the two could influence hair growth. Using ATAC-seq & RNA-seq, they identified several transcription factors potentially involved in this process. The study also explored the role of DP cells in androgenic alopecia (AGA), finding that 5a-reductase and androgen receptors are prevalent in balding scalp. By analyzing human hair follicles from healthy and AGA patients, they examined cell-cell interactions and how they are affected in hair miniaturization. The ultimate goal is to better understand mesenchymal niche regulation of the HF to develop potential novel therapies for hair loss.
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