Model Depicting Fgf9-Driven Wnt Activation Feedback Loop (IMAGE)
Caption
Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have determined the role of a key growth factor, found in skin cells of limited quantities in humans, that helps hair follicles form and regenerate during the wound healing process. This growth factor, Fgf9, is initially secreted from gamma delta T cells, an unconventional, rare subset of T cells involved in the immune response. Once released, Fgf9 serves as the catalyst for a signal sent via the dermal Wnt pathway. The signal prompts further expression of Fgf9 in structural cells called fibroblasts, and adds to the generation of new hair follicles. Researchers believe that this growth factor could be used therapeutically for people with various hair and scalp disorders. The study appears in an advance online publication of Nature Medicine.
Credit
George Cotsarelis and Elsa Treffeisen/Penn Medicine
Usage Restrictions
Credit George Cotsarelis and Elsa Treffeisen/Penn Medicine
License
Licensed content