Proteins in Scalp Hair of Preschool Children

The study analyzed scalp hair proteins from 40 preschool children and 43 mothers, identifying significant individual variability and age-related differences in protein expression. Mothers had higher protein counts and more diverse proteins than children, with specific proteins like SERPINB4 and PLEC more abundant in mothers, and SCGB2A1 higher in children. The top 5% of proteins influencing variability were linked to brain development, immune signaling, and stress response. The findings suggest that non-structural hair proteins could serve as biomarkers for monitoring developmental changes and health status in early childhood, despite limitations like a small sample size and semi-quantitative data.