Decoding the Secret to Hair Growth through Goosebumps
Prof. Sung-Jan Lin, Deputy Director of NTU’s Research Center of Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine & Attending Physician at the Department of Dermatology, NTU Hospital.
An international research team led by NTU faculty published major findings on how cell types that induce goosebumps also regulate hair follicle stem cells in the world-renowned journal, Cell.
Hair, the tresses and locks covering our heads, has always been important to us. Everyone fears bad hair days and takes pride in good hair days. A full head of smooth, shiny hair symbolizes youth and vitality. Consequently, hair growth and treatments for hair loss have always been crucial areas of regenerative medical research. An international research team led by researchers from NTU has discovered that hair growth regeneration is dependent on the activation of hair follicle stem cells. This new finding will certainly usher in new directions and methods for effective hair loss treatment.
With support from the Ministry of Science and Technology, NTU Hospital, and Taiwan Bio-Development Foundation (TBF), Prof. Sung-Jan Lin, Deputy Director of NTU’s Research Center of Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and his team in collaboration with Harvard University Professor Ya-Chieh Hsu studied the activation of hair follicle stem cells. Their research findings, which shed fresh light on how hair follicles are regenerated, were published in Cell.
By analyzing goosebumps, or the phenomenon of piloerection, the team studied the contraction of the arrector pipi muscle (APM) and the mechanism whereby hair stands up. They found that when subjected to cold, the sympathetic nerves were activated, and besides stimulating the APM to contract and produce goosebumps, hair follicle stem cells were also activated, inducing hair regeneration and generating warmth. This finding likely explains why wildlife in cold climates, such as polar bears, have thick fur. The study showed that the correlation between sympathetic nerves and the activation of hair follicle stem cells is the key to hair regeneration.
Another breakthrough discovery made by the team was the process whereby the sympathetic nerves activate hair follicle stem/progenitor cells (HFSCs) via synapse-like contacts when they are in the proximity of hair follicle stem cells. This enables the sympathetic nerves to release norepinephrine, which stimulates the activity of hair follicle stem cells. Synapse-like contacts were previously thought to exist only at the juncture between nerves or that between nerves and muscles. This pioneering study demonstrated that synapse-like contacts can modulate stem cells in the body. It was also found that hair follicle regeneration is triggered by ADRB2 receptors receiving sympathetic nerve signals.
The research team members from NTU included one of the first authors, Dr. Chih-Lung Chen, as well as Dr. Sabrina Mai-Yi Fan and Dr. Edrick Tai-Yu Lin, all of whom are faculty members of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. The research team is also indebted to NTU Hospital’s Department of Medical Research for their generous technical support as well as NTU’s Centers of Genomic and Precision Medicine for assistance with managing transgenic mice.
