Hair color cells move and change shape to keep hair colored
Dedifferentiation maintains melanocyte stem cells in a dynamic niche
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Hair color cells (melanocyte stem cells) in mice don’t just sit still. They move around in hair follicles and can switch between being 'baby' cells and 'working' cells. This helps them make new color cells. When hair grows over and over, more of these cells get stuck in a resting place and stop...
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 516 / 72
Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Hair color cells (melanocyte stem cells) in mice don’t just sit still. They move around in hair follicles and can switch between being 'baby' cells and 'working' cells. This helps them make new color cells. When hair grows over and over, more of these cells get stuck in a resting place and stop...
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 516 / 72
Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Publication
Authors
Sun Q, Lee W, Hu H, Ogawa T, De Leon S, Katehis I, Lim CH, Takeo M, Cammer M, Taketo MM, Gay DL, Millar SE, Ito M
Related Content
Claims (10)
Mouse hair pigment cells move between different parts of the hair follicle and change their state back and forth, which is linked to WNT signaling.
When mouse hair is repeatedly plucked, more pigment cells get stuck in the bulge area (from 10% to 50% of follicles), and these stuck cells don't help make new hair color.
Mouse pigment cells that make Oca2 protein can turn back into stem cells after moving to the bulge area of the hair follicle.
When mouse skin is exposed to UV light, pigment cells temporarily turn dark but later revert back to stem cells.
WNT signals in the hair follicle are linked to pigment cells turning into mature color-producing cells in mice.