TLDR Hair follicle cultures are effective for studying cell communication and testing chemicals.
The study demonstrated that primary keratinocyte cultures derived from plucked human hairs were effective for analyzing gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC). These cultures were used to assess the tumor-promoting activity of environmental chemicals. The research found that the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) inhibited GJIC in a manner similar to its effect on mouse primary epidermal keratinocytes. The study concluded that hair follicle cultures were suitable for GJIC studies and potentially other in vitro assays requiring attached cells.
66 citations
,
January 1987 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Coal tar shampoo increases enzyme activity in hair follicles, enhancing carcinogen binding to DNA.
88 citations
,
January 1981 in “British Journal of Dermatology” A new method helps grow human hair cells using a cow eye lens.
8 citations
,
May 2024 in “PLoS Biology” Gap junctions help control feather pattern formation in chickens.
73 citations
,
January 2002 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Epidermal stem cells don't use gap junctions to communicate.
8 citations
,
September 2013 in “Molecular carcinogenesis” Rapamycin reduces skin cell growth and tumor development by affecting cell signaling in mice.
71 citations
,
January 2012 in “PloS one” The conclusion is that genetic differences affect how the cochlea heals after hair cell loss, which may challenge the creation of hearing loss treatments.
17 citations
,
June 2011 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” The G60S Connexin43 mutation causes hair growth issues and poor hair quality in mice, similar to human ODDD patients.
