Transcriptional Profiling in Rat Hair Follicles Following Simulated Blast Insult: A New Diagnostic Tool for Traumatic Brain Injury

August 2014 in “ PLoS ONE ”

Jing Zhang, Lisa Carnduff, Grant Norman, Tyson Josey, Yushan Wang, Thomas W. Sawyer, Christopher J. Martyniuk, Valérie S. Langlois

hair follicles gene expression CNS PNS Ca2+ signaling K+-transportation Toll-Like Receptor MAPK signaling

TLDR Hair follicles can help diagnose traumatic brain injury quickly and non-invasively.

The study explored the potential of using mammalian hair follicles as a diagnostic tool for traumatic brain injury (TBI) by simulating blast conditions on rat models. An Advanced Blast Simulator was used to create shock waves, and microarray analysis of hair follicles identified gene expression changes linked to these conditions. The analysis revealed that genes involved in CNS/PNS responses and various signaling pathways, such as Ca2+, K+-transportation, Toll-Like Receptor, and MAPK signaling, were affected. These pathways were previously associated with TBI in other tissues like the brain and blood. The findings suggested that hair follicles share TBI-responsive molecular signatures with other tissues, indicating their potential for non-invasive and rapid TBI diagnosis.

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