TLDR Changing Wnt signaling can lead to more or less hair growth and might help treat hair loss and skin conditions.
The document from 2013 discusses the critical role of Wnt signaling in hair follicle development and regeneration, highlighting the potential for manipulating this pathway to treat hair-related conditions such as alopecia. It was found that deletion of the Wntless gene impeded the expression of key Wnt proteins necessary for hair follicle initiation. Additionally, the document explores the impact of Transforming growth factor-B1 (TGFB1) on skin health, noting that TGFB1 from epidermal keratinocytes can disrupt cutaneous dendritic cell homeostasis, potentially leading to increased inflammation and contributing to conditions like psoriasis. These findings emphasize the complexity of skin and hair follicle biology and the need for further research to understand and therapeutically modulate these signaling pathways. The work is supported by US NIH grants and suggests that a deeper understanding of these mechanisms could have clinical applications for skin diseases and injury recovery.
77 citations,
July 2012 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Wnt10b overexpression can regenerate hair follicles, possibly helping treat hair loss and alopecia.
207 citations,
March 2012 in “Development” Skin needs dermal β-catenin activity for hair growth and skin cell multiplication.
59 citations,
February 2012 in “Journal of Dermatological Science” Environmental factors at different levels control hair stem cell activity, which could lead to new hair growth and alopecia treatments.
128 citations,
October 2011 in “Development” Activating a protein called β-catenin in adult skin can make it behave like young skin, potentially helping with skin aging and hair loss.
176 citations,
April 2011 in “Science” Hair stem cell regeneration is controlled by signals that can explain different hair growth patterns and baldness.
829 citations,
May 2007 in “Nature” Hair follicles can regrow in wounded adult mouse skin using a process like embryo development.
21 citations,
May 2022 in “Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology” Hair growth and health are influenced by factors like age, environment, and nutrition, and are controlled by various molecular pathways. Red light can promote hair growth, and understanding these processes can help treat hair-related diseases.
21 citations,
May 2016 in “Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine” 
April 2016 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Wnt ligands, produced by dermal papilla cells, are essential for adult hair growth and regeneration.
8 citations,
September 2002 in “Genes to Cells” Killing specific cells in hair follicles can lead to hair growth problems in mice.
