June 2022 in “bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)” This study provides evidence that innate lymphoid cells-type 1 can induce alopecia areata in human hair follicles, challenging the view that it is solely a CD8+ T cell-driven autoimmune disease.
8 citations
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March 2020 in “Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology” This study developed a DPC cell line by introducing mutant CDK4, Cyclin D1, and TERT, making it a promising tool to study downstream signaling pathways activated by testosterone in androgenetic alopecia.
July 2026 in “Expert Review of Clinical Immunology” This article reviews the roles of dendritic cells in alopecia areata and highlights emerging precision therapies that target these cells, reporting no new experimental findings.
January 2026 in “Applied Sciences” In this study, cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) treatment in human hair follicle dermal papilla cells was associated with increased intracellular calcium retention and activated anagen-related signaling without causing significant cytotoxicity, indicating its potential impact on hair growth processes.
12 citations
,
April 2022 in “Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology” This study found that stabilizing β-catenin in a specific mouse model led to temporarily increased hair density but ultimately accelerated hair follicle aging and hair thinning.
32 citations
,
August 2016 in “Science Signaling” This study developed PiSCES biosignatures that distinguished alopecia areata patients from controls, revealing enhanced basal TCR signaling and a potential disease-specific signaling network signature.
August 1993 in “Journal of Dermatological Science” Testosterone metabolism in balding scalp cells may not be the main cause of hair loss.
208 citations
,
December 2003 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study found that dermal papilla and peribulbar dermal sheath cup cells in mice can both induce hair follicle formation, suggesting they may have similar functional roles in hair growth.
45 citations
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December 2014 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” This study found that plasmacytoid dendritic cells are central to the pathogenesis of alopecia areata, suggesting they may help differentiate it from trichotillomania and androgenetic alopecia.
124 citations
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April 1992 in “Journal of Endocrinology/Journal of endocrinology” This study observed that cells from androgen-sensitive areas like the beard and scrotum showed higher androgen receptor levels compared to those from non-balding scalp areas, supporting the role of dermal papilla in follicle growth responses to androgens.
184 citations
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November 2014 in “Developmental Cell” This study identifies a bipotent stem cell in adult hair follicles that self-renews and contributes to dermal sheath and papilla cell populations, potentially aiding hair regrowth after injury, disease, or aging.
July 2024 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study suggests that macrophages, especially CD206+ subsets, play a key role in hair growth induced by squaric acid dibutyl ester, a therapy used for alopecia areata.
July 2024 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Allergic contact dermatitis may promote hair growth by activating hair follicle stem cells.
990 citations
,
October 1999 in “Development” This study found that LEF1/TCF3 is necessary but not sufficient for TOPGAL activation in hair follicle development, indicating complex regulation in the skin.
18 citations
,
February 2023 in “eLife” This study indicates that innate lymphoid cells-type 1 may provoke alopecia areata by disrupting hair follicle immune privilege and inducing characteristic lesions, challenging the view that alopecia areata is purely an autoantigen-dependent, T cell-driven condition.
January 2025 in “bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)” This study explored how T cells interact with hair follicles in primary cicatricial alopecias by using spatial transcriptomics across mice, dogs, and human samples, revealing specific communication pathways and potential drug targets like CFD and S100A8/9 for future therapeutic research.
8 citations
,
September 2002 in “Genes to Cells” This study suggests that label-retaining cells in the hair follicle contribute to follicular renewal, indicating a specific role in the hair cycle by proliferating during the late telogen phase.
September 2025 in “JID Innovations” This study suggests that macrophages, particularly CD206+ macrophages, play a crucial role in squaric acid dibutylester-induced hair growth in alopecia areata treatment.
September 2019 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study suggests that in alopecia areata, innate lymphoid cells type 1 may contribute to the disease’s pathogenesis by inducing hair follicle changes similarly to CD8+ T cells.
June 2026 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study reported that the anti-γc antibody hC2 restored hair follicle homeostasis and suppressed hair loss in an AA-like mouse model by inhibiting autoreactive T-cell activity, suggesting that hC2 may offer a safer and more effective treatment for alopecia areata compared to current Jak inhibitors.
November 2022 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study provides evidence that ILC1-like cells can induce alopecia areata in previously healthy human hair follicles, challenging the view that it is solely an autoantigen-dependent autoimmune disease.
235 citations
,
January 2011 in “Journal of Clinical Investigation” This study found that androgenetic alopecia may involve a defect in the conversion of hair follicle stem cells to progenitor cells, as demonstrated by a reduced presence of progenitor cells in bald scalp samples.
28 citations
,
October 2004 in “Differentiation” This study identified a large deletion in the desmoglein 4 gene as the genetic basis of the Iffa Credo "hairless" rat's skin phenotype, linking it to lanceolate hair mutations.
54 citations
,
December 2011 in “American Journal Of Pathology” This study found that immune-mediated destruction of bulge stem cells is a key factor in the alopecia observed in AE mice, suggesting it as a model for studying primary cicatricial alopecias, particularly lichen planopilaris.
3 citations
,
April 2019 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” This research suggests that innate lymphoid cells type 1 (ILC1) may contribute to the development of alopecia areata, alongside CD8+ T cells, by disrupting hair follicle immune privilege and promoting features of the disease.
January 2026 in “Journal of Ethnopharmacology” Cedrol promotes hair growth better than baricitinib by regulating immune cells.
20 citations
,
October 2017 in “Stem Cell Reports” This study found that loss of the ACER1 gene in mice led to increased ceramide levels and progressive hair loss, highlighting ACER1's role in maintaining hair follicle stem cell homeostasis.
8 citations
,
June 2012 in “PloS one” This study found that the Plcd3(mNab) mutation in mice worsens the alopecia caused by Plcd1 loss, suggesting synergistic effects between Plcd1 and Plcd3 on hair follicle health.
1 citations
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November 2022 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study found that ALRN-6924, a clinical-stage dual inhibitor, can selectively protect human scalp hair follicles from paclitaxel-induced toxicity and damage by inducing transient cell cycle arrest in healthy cells without affecting cancer cells, potentially reducing chemotherapy-induced alopecia.
September 2026 in “Stem Cell Reviews and Reports” Bulge progenitor cells show promise for regenerating hair follicles and increasing hair density.