Key Points
The cell biologist from the University of California, Irvine rattles off obscure facts: Sloth hair has a green tinge thanks to symbiotic algae; African crested rats evolved hollow hairs, which they slather with a pasty bark-derived toxin to defend themselves; his last name comes from a Latvian word for bald..
Were now the first ever to show that there are instances where molecules secreted by such aged cells are beneficial for hair growth, he says.. Cells use signaling molecules, proteins, and hormones to communicate..
SCUBE3 activated stem cells in mouse follicles, and Plikus envisions one day running trials to microneedle peoples scalps with SCUBE3 to encourage hair growth..
They sequenced their genetic material, then spent months analyzing the signaling molecules these cells produce, and osteopontin came out of that, he says.. In normal skin, osteopontin comes from dermal papilla, which sit at the base of hair follicles..
In the new study, excessive osteopontin from melanocytes appeared to invade follicle stem cells, switching on hair growth...
