TLR2 Important in the Dysfunction of Hair Follicles

Dysfunction in hair follicles and loss of the capacity for hair growth is a perhaps surprisingly complex aspect of aging and disease. For all the the basic mechanisms of hair growth are well-investigated, the hair follicle is a complex structure, and hair growth involves the collaboration of many cell types, activities, and signaling that shifts over time as the follicle progresses through the stages of growth. It has proven to be hard to pin down any one specific mechanism as vital, and it may turn out to be the case that no one specific mechanism is the key to preventing loss of hair with advancing age and other circumstances. Nonetheless, researchers continue to search for that one specific mechanism that may reverse age-related loss of hair follicle function and hair growth. In today's open access paper, researchers argue for innate immune involvement to be important, mediated by toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2). Level and activity of TLR2 both decline with age, while delivery of a suitable native ligand that interacts with TLR2 produces improved regeneration of hair follicles and hair regrowth following injury in mice. Whether this approach will also work to reverse hair thinning and hair follicle dysfunction in old, uninjured animals remains to be seen. TLR2 regulates hair follicle cycle and regeneration via BMP signaling Hair follicles (HFs) represent one of the best examples of mini-organs with the ability to regenerate throughout life, which, in tur...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs