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 had normal hair cycles, but by the third week of life, they began to lose hair progressively, developing cystic structures in the deep dermis and excessive skin growth, resembling the rhino mouse phenotype and human papular atrichia. These findings suggested that ODC transgenic mice could serve as a model for studying human atrichia with papular lesions, highlighting the critical yet unclear role of ODC in hair follicle function in both mice and humans.