What does hair loss have to teach us about cancer metastasis?

(Medical University of South Carolina) Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have identified a signaling pathway regulating cell migration and metastasis. Unexpected hair loss in a preclinical model helped them to identify the pathway. When cells within the skin that maintain hair follicles migrate too often, hair follicle maintenance is disrupted. Researchers speculated that this pathway might also play a role in cancer cell migration. Indeed, they showed that disrupting this pathway in preclinical models increased metastasis.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news