An Exploration of Mechanisms of Hair Greying, but not Yet Linked to Aging

This research is an example of the way in which both the mainstream press and research publicity materials are sometimes quite terrible. The researchers involved have explored some of the cellular biochemistry that is necessary to the pigmentation of hair. They demonstrate, as you might expect, that sabotaging these mechanisms results in grey hair. What they have not yet accomplished is to show that aging has an impact on the specific mechanisms examined in this research. Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. While the research looks like a promising lead, all things considered, age-related graying of hair might well be caused by processes operating somewhere else in the generation of pigmentation. So it is premature to be claiming identification of the causes of loss of hair pigmentation with age, as has been the case where this research was reported. "Although this project was started in an effort to understand how certain kinds of tumors form, we ended up learning why hair turns gray and discovering the identity of the cell that directly gives rise to hair. With this knowledge, we hope in the future to create a topical compound or to safely deliver the necessary gene to hair follicles to correct these cosmetic problems." The researchers found that a protein called KROX20, more commonly associated with nerve development, in this case turns on in skin cells that become the hair shaft. These hair precursor, or progenitor, cells then produce a protein called stem cell fact...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs