Regenerative hair waves in aging mice and extra-follicular modulators follistatin, dkk1, and sfrp4.

ABSTRACT: Hair cycling is modulated by factors both intrinsic and extrinsic to hair follicles. Cycling defects lead to conditions such as aging-associated alopecia. Recently, we demonstrated that mouse skin exhibits regenerative hair waves, reflecting a coordinated regenerative behavior in follicle populations. Here, we use this model to explore the regenerative behavior of aging mouse skin. Old mice (>18 months) tracked over several months show that with progressing age, hair waves slow down, wave propagation becomes restricted, and hair cycle domains fragment into smaller domains. Transplanting aged donor mouse skin to a young host can restore donor cycling within a 3 mm range of the interface, suggesting that changes are due to extracellular factors. Therefore, hair stem cells in aged skin can be

SUBMITTER: Chen CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4102635 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature