Faculty Opinions Recommendation of Wnt-Dependent De Novo Hair Follicle Regeneration in Adult Mouse Skin After Wounding
TLDR Hair can regrow in adult mice's skin after injury, and this regrowth doesn't come from existing hair cells but from skin cells in the wound, with Wnt7a protein helping this process. This could help treat baldness and scarring.
This study from 2007 reveals that hair follicles can be generated de novo during wound healing in adult mice. The researchers found that the newly formed follicles in larger wounds were derived from keratinocytes of the epidermis, rather than from pre-existing follicular stem cells. The study also showed that overexpression of Wnt7a in the epidermis expanded the zone of follicle formation, suggesting the importance of Wnt signaling in follicle regeneration. The researchers observed that the new follicles did not originate from adjacent hair follicle stem cells, but rather from reprogrammed basal epidermal cells within the wound. This research has implications for potential treatments for baldness and scarring alopecia.
