The Walking Dead: Sequential Nuclear and Organelle Destruction During Hair Development

November 2017 in “ British Journal of Dermatology ”

Leigh Ann Jones, Duane P. Harland, Bradley B. Jarrold, John E. Connolly, Michael G. Davis

hair follicle keratin Bnip3L mitophagy reactive oxygen species nuclear DNA

TLDR Cells in hair die by breaking down their DNA and mitochondria as they form keratin.

The study proposed a model for the transition of cells from living to dead during the initial 1 mm of hair formation. It suggested that nucleated cells first degrade their nuclear DNA while still performing essential functions, such as respiration and producing reactive oxygen species for keratin cross-linking. As keratin bundles accumulate, the expression of Bnip3L initiates mitophagy, eliminating the cells' last living characteristics and completing their transition to a dead state within the hair follicle.

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Research cited in this study

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The Walking Dead: Sequential Nuclear and Organelle Destruction During Hair Development

Research cited in this study

research Compartmentation of Mitochondrial and Oxidative Metabolism in Growing Hair Follicles: A Ring of Fire

research Oxidative Damage Control in a Human Mini-Organ: Nrf2 Activation Protects Against Oxidative Stress-Induced Hair Growth Inhibition

research The Impact of Oxidative Stress on Hair

research The Role of Oxidative Damage in Poor Scalp Health: Ramifications to Causality and Associated Hair Growth

research Mitochondrial Function in Murine Skin Epithelium Is Crucial for Hair Follicle Morphogenesis and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Interactions

research Age-Induced Hair Greying: The Multiple Effects of Oxidative Stress

research Cell Death by Cornification

research Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species Promote Epidermal Differentiation and Hair Follicle Development

research The Role of Disulfide Bond Formation in the Structural Transition Observed in the Intermediate Filaments of Developing Hair

research Annotation of Sheep Keratin Intermediate Filament Genes and Their Patterns of Expression

research Adamson's Fringe, Horatio George Adamson, and Kligman's Experiments and Observations on Tinea Capitis

research The Cycling Hair Follicle as an Ideal Systems Biology Research Model

research The Hair Follicle as a Dynamic Mini-Organ

research Oxidative Stress in Aging of Hair

research Novel Type I Hair Keratins K39 And K40 Are The Last To Be Expressed In Differentiation Of The Hair: Completion Of The Human Hair Keratin Catalog

research In Vivo Formation Steps of the Hard Alpha-Keratin Intermediate Filament Along a Hair Follicle: Evidence for Structural Polymorphism

research Human Hair Keratin-Associated Proteins

research Keratins of the Human Hair Follicle

research Trichohyalin Mechanically Strengthens the Hair Follicle

research The Cytology and Cytochemistry of the Wool Follicle

research The Histology of Keratin Fibers

research Acid Phosphatase Distribution in the Wool Follicle: Fate of Organelles in Keratinized Cells

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