Ornithine Decarboxylase Transgenic Mice as a Model for Human Atrichia with Papular Lesions

The study investigated the role of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in hair follicle function using transgenic mice that overexpressed ODC in their skin. Initially, these mice exhibited normal hair growth, but by the third week of life, they began to lose hair progressively. This hair loss was accompanied by the formation of cystic structures in the deep dermis and excessive skin growth, leading to pronounced wrinkling and folding. These phenotypic changes closely resembled those seen in the rhino mouse and human patients with papular atrichia, a rare congenital disorder characterized by early childhood hair loss. The findings suggested that ODC transgenic mice could serve as a valuable model for studying human atrichia with papular lesions, highlighting the critical yet not fully understood role of ODC in hair follicle function.