Transgenic Mice Display Hair Loss and Regrowth Overexpressing Mutant Hr Gene

January 2017 in “ Jikken doubutsu ihou/Jikken doubutsu/Experimental animals/Jikken Dobutsu ”

Kun Yan Zhu, Chi Xu, Jintao Zhang, Yingying Chen, Mengduan Liu

transgenic mice mutant Hr gene hair follicle development hair loss HR protein alopecia gene expression hairless gene hair regrowth

TLDR Mice with a changed Hr gene lose and regrow hair due to changes in the gene's activity.

In the 2017 study, researchers created transgenic mice overexpressing a mutant hairless (Hr) gene to explore its role in hair follicle development and hair loss. They developed three transgenic lines, with two (TG3 and TG8) exhibiting cycles of hair loss and regrowth. This pattern was associated with alternating levels of HR protein expression. The mutant Hr gene was found to suppress the expression of the endogenous Hr gene, leading to alopecia. However, as the expression of the mutant Hr gene decreased, the endogenous gene's expression increased, allowing hair to regrow. These results suggest that fluctuations in Hr gene expression can directly influence hair loss and regrowth.

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