All articles tagged with #melanocyte
A new study suggests a link between grey hair and cancer risk, indicating that the process of hair greying, driven by stress and DNA damage in melanocyte stem cells, may be a protective response to prevent harmful mutations that could lead to cancer, although bypassing this mechanism might increase melanoma risk.
Stem cells that produce and maintain the pigment in our hair, specifically melanocyte stem cells, may be responsible for graying and loss of hair color. Researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine found that melanocyte stem cells are much more mobile than previously thought and can start regeneration of hair melanocytes only when they are present in a specific area within the hair follicle. Moving melanocytes to a proper location within the hair follicle may help prevent hair from going gray, but more research is needed to understand how melanocytes find a proper location within the hair follicle.
Researchers have discovered that certain stem cells, called melanocyte stem cells, get stuck in hair follicles as people age, leading to the loss of hair color. The study suggests that moving these cells to a specific area within the hair follicle called the hair germ compartment may prevent hair graying. The findings raise the possibility of reversing or preventing gray hair in humans by helping these cells move again.