A new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center has
shown that, for the first time, Wnt signaling, already known to
control many biological processes, between hair follicles and
melanocyte stem cells can dictate hair pigmentation. The study was
published in the June 11, 2011 issue of the journal Cell. The
research was led by Mayumi Ito, PhD, assistant professor in the
Ronald O. Pereleman Department of Dermatology at NYU Langone. We
have known for decades that hair follicle stem cells and
pigment-producing melanocycte cells collaborate to produce colored
hair, but the underlying reasons were unknown, said Dr. Ito. We
discovered Wnt signaling is essential for coordinated actions of
these two stem cell lineages and critical for hair pigmentation.
The study suggests the manipulation of Wnt signaling may be a novel
strategy for targeting pigmentation such as graying hair. The
research study also illustrates a model for tissue regeneration.
The human body has many types of stem cells that have the potential
to regenerate other organs, said Dr. Ito. The methods behind
communication between stem cells of hair and color during hair
replacement may give us important clues to regenerate complex
organs containing many different types of cells.
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