Scientists have pinpointed the cells that cause hair to turn gray and to go bald in mice, according to a new study published in the journal Genes & Development.

Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center accidentally stumbled upon this explanation for baldness and graying hairs—at least in mouse models—while studying a rare genetic disease that causes tumors to grow on nerves, according to a press release from the center.

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They found that a protein called KROX20 switches on skin cells that become a hair shaft, which then causes cells to produce another protein called stem cell factor. In mice, these two proteins turned out to be important for baldness and graying. When researchers deleted the cells that produce KROX20, mice stopped growing hair and eventually went bald; when they deleted the SCF gene, the animals’ hair turned white.

“Although this project was started in an effort to understand how certain kinds of tumors form, we ended up learning why hair turns gray and discovering the identity of the cell that directly gives rise to hair,” said lead researcher Dr. Lu Le, associate professor of dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, in a statement.

More research is needed to understand if the process works similarly in humans, and Le and his colleagues plan to start studying it in people. “With this knowledge, we hope in the future to create a topical compound or to safely deliver the necessary gene to hair follicles to correct these cosmetic problems,” he said.

Contact us at editors@time.com.</s>UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified the cells that directly give rise to hair as well as the mechanism that causes hair to turn gray – findings that could one day help identify possible treatments for balding and hair graying.

“Although this project was started in an effort to understand how certain kinds of tumors form, we ended up learning why hair turns gray and discovering the identity of the cell that directly gives rise to hair,” said Dr. Lu Le, Associate Professor of Dermatology with the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern. “With this knowledge, we hope in the future to create a topical compound or to safely deliver the necessary gene to hair follicles to correct these cosmetic problems.”

The researchers found that a protein called KROX20, more commonly associated with nerve development, in this case turns on in skin cells that become the hair shaft. These hair precursor, or progenitor, cells then produce a protein called stem cell factor (SCF) that the researchers showed is essential for hair pigmentation.

When they deleted the SCF gene in the hair progenitor cells in mouse models, the animal’s hair turned white. When they deleted the KROX20-producing cells, no hair grew and the mice became bald, according to the study.

The findings are published online in Genes & Development.

Dr. Le, who holds the Thomas L. Shields, M.D. Professorship in Dermatology, said he and his researchers serendipitously uncovered this explanation for balding and hair graying while studying a disorder called Neurofibromatosis Type 1, a rare genetic disease that causes tumors to grow on nerves.

Scientists already knew that stem cells contained in a bulge area of hair follicles are involved in making hair and that SCF is important for pigmented cells, said Dr. Le, a member of the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine.

What they did not know in detail is what happens after those stem cells move down to the base, or bulb, of hair follicles and which cells in the hair follicles produce SCF – or that cells involved in hair shaft creation make the KROX20 protein, he said.

If cells with functioning KROX20 and SCF are present, they move up from the bulb, interact with pigment-producing melanocyte cells, and grow into pigmented hairs.

But without SCF, the hair in mouse models was gray, and then turned white with age, according to the study. Without KROX20-producing cells, no hair grew, the study said.

UT Southwestern researchers will now try to find out if the KROX20 in cells and the SCF gene stop working properly as people age, leading to the graying and hair thinning seen in older people – as well as in male pattern baldness, Dr. Le said.

The research also could provide answers about why we age in general as hair graying and hair loss are among the first signs of aging.</s>While granny gray hair might be having a major style moment, finding grays that have spouted on their own can be a totally different matter for some folks. If you're the type to panic over a few surprise grays, don’t worry you’re not alone — the compulsion to cover them has helped buoy the hair dye industry. But science just got one big step closer to ditching the need to cover by actually curing grays.

Last year, researchers in London identified the gene that causes grays . While that proved rogue hairs and high maintenance roots are at least in part genetic, there wasn’t a whole lot of practical application that might be able to save you a salon visit. In a new study published this week in the journal Genes and Development , researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center actually identified the cells that cause our grays and could potentially cure them.

The researchers found that in our scalp cells, a futuristic-sounding protein called KROX20 turns on in cells that become the actual hair shaft (called progenitor cells), producing another protein called stem cell factor (SCF) in the process, which is essential for actually creating the pigment in your hair color. When researchers removed the SCF protein from cells in mice, their hair turned white (deleting the KROX20 protein made them go bald). Eeek.

So why do we lose this pigment promoting SCF as we age? "Most biological functions have a backup system, but not hair pigmentation," says Lu Le , M.D., associate professor of dermatology at UT Southwestern, one of the study's authors, tells Allure . "We believe that in humans, as we age, the expression of SCF in these cells begins fluctuating, and when the level falls below a certain threshold, there is no backup source of SCF to rescue it." Hello, white hair!

The good news is, this knowledge could mean that scientists will eventually be able to get rid of your grays and save you a trip to the salon – researchers say they could potentially create a topical solution that would stimulate SCF and thereby cast grays out of your coif. Though that might take awhile, says Le. “It is hard to know [how long it will take]. However, with new technology in the lab, the time from a scientific discovery to clinical application keeps getting shorter,” he says.

Of course, there’s no reason why grays need to be “cured.” Embracing the idea of going gray and rocking heather hair can be majorly chic – not to mention empowering as hell.

For more on how to deal with gray hair, check out:
• How This 64-Year-Old Woman Learned to Love Her Gray Hair
• How To Grow Out Gray Hair—The Experts Weigh In
• Three Easy And Low Maintenance Ways to Cover Gray Hair

How This 64-Year-Old Woman Learned to Love Her Gray Hair:</s>Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center discovered cells which could be the answer to treating gray hair and balding.

A team accidentally stumbled across the new findings while researching a rare genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerves, called Neurofibromatosis Type 1.

“Although this project was started in an effort to understand how certain kinds of tumors form, we ended up learning why hair turns gray and discovering the identity of the cell that directly gives rise to hair,” said Dr. Lu Le, Associate Professor of Dermatology at UT Southwestern, in a press statement. “With this knowledge, we hope in the future to create a topical compound or to safely deliver the necessary gene to hair follicles to correct these cosmetic problems.”

The team found a protein called KROX20, which is normally associated with nerve development, can turn on in skin cells to create hair shafts. The hair shaft cells then produce another protein called stem cell factor (SCF) that is essential to hair pigmentation.

The researchers found that when they removed KROX20-producing cells in mice, the animals lost all their hair and went bald. When the team removed SCF cells, the mice hair turned white.

While scientists were already aware of the general science of hair growth and hair pigmentation, they didn't know what happens when cells move down to the base of hair follicles, which cells make SCF and the involvement of KROX20.

Le said researchers will now try to find out if SCF and KROX20 stop working properly on older people leading to graying and balding. They'll also look into male balding patterns.

The research could even provide answers to why people age in general since graying and balding are some of the first signs of aging.</s>The presence or absence of a group of cells may be behind your balding, or greying hair, as well as the cause for those lush tresses, researchers say.

The findings showed that a protein called KROX20 -- commonly associated with nerve development -- turns on in skin cells that become the hair shaft.

These hair precursor, or progenitor, cells then produce a protein called stem cell factor (SCF) -- essential for hair pigmentation.

In the study, when researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, deleted the SCF gene in the hair progenitor cells in mouse models, the animal's hair turned white.

When they deleted the KROX20-producing cells, no hair grew and the mice became bald.

The results, published in the journal Genes and Development, could one day help identify possible treatments for balding and hair greying.

If cells with functioning KROX20 and SCF are present, they move up from the base, or bulb, of hair follicles, interact with pigment-producing melanocyte cells, and grow into pigmented hairs.

But without SCF, the hair in mouse models was grey, and then turned white with age. Without KROX20-producing cells, no hair grew, the study said.

"With this knowledge, we hope to create a topical compound or to safely deliver the necessary gene to hair follicles to correct these cosmetic problems," said Lu Le, Associate Professor at the university.</s>Scientists may be closer to developing a cream to cure baldness or stop hair from turning gray, according to a recently published study.The study conducted by UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas said the scientists made the discovery by accident while researching how certain cancer tumors form.Researchers said they found that a protein called KROX 20, commonly associated with nerve development, turned on in skin cells that become the hair shaft.The cells produce a protein called stem cell factor, which was essential for hair color.When scientists deleted the stem cell factor gene in the hair cells of mice, their fur turned white.When scientists deleted the other protein KROX 20, no hair grew and the mice became bald.The study, published in the Genes and Development Journal, can be read here</s>Researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered the cells that are directly responsible for hair growth and the mechanism that causes gray hair. The study results could help in identifying feasible treatments for balding and hair graying.

“Although this project was started in an effort to understand how certain kinds of tumors form, we ended up learning why hair turns gray and discovering the identity of the cell that directly gives rise to hair,” said Dr. Lu Le, Associate Professor of Dermatology with the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern and member of the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine. “With this knowledge, we hope in the future to create a topical compound or to safely deliver the necessary gene to hair follicles to correct these cosmetic problems.”

The study published online in the journal Genes & Development shows that the protein KROX20, is turned on in skin cells that devlop into the hair shaft. The pigmentation of the hair is then regulated by the stem cell factor (SCF) expression in hair shaft progenitor cells.

According to the study in a mouse model, the fur turned white when the SCF gene in the hair progenitor cells was deleted. Hair growth was arrested and the mice became bald when the KROX20-producing cells were deleted.

Dr. Le, who holds the Thomas L. Shields, M.D. Professorship in Dermatology, said that while studying a disorder called Neurofibromatosis Type 1, a rare genetic disease that causes tumors to grow on nerves, their team had accidentally discovered this explanation for balding and hair graying.

He further explained that researchers are aware that the stem cells contained in a bulge area of hair follicles are involved in making hair and that SCF is important for pigmented cells. However, the details about the actions when the stem cells move down to the base, or bulb, of hair follicles, are still unknown, along with which cells in the follicles of the hair produce SCF or that cells involved in the creation of the hair shaft generates the KROX20 protein.

Within the cells, if there is a role of KROX20 and SCF, they move up from the bulb and interact with melanocyte cells that produce pigments, the cells grow into pigmented hairs.

The study has found that in mouse models, the hair turns gray without SCF, as age progresses the hair turns to white, and hair growth is arrested without KROX20-producing cells.

Dr. Le concluded that the researchers would now try to find whether the KROX20 in cells and the SCF gene stop working properly due to aging in people, which leads to gray hair and thinning of hair in elderly people and balding in males. This could provide answers about the reasons for hair graying and hair loss, the first signs of aging in general.</s>Scientists in Texas searching for the cure for cancer may have stumbled upon another slightly-less-important cure: alopecia.

For those keeping score at home, alopecia means baldness.

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center were studying a disorder known as Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NT1) when they discovered an explanation for balding and hair greying, according to a press release from the Center. NT1 is a rare genetic disease that causes tumours to grow on nerves.

READ MORE: Going bald? Blame your mother, study suggests

The study found that a protein called KROX20 turns on in skin cells that become hair shafts. The cells then produce a protein called a stem cell factor (SCF) which is essential for hair pigmentation.

WATCH: ‘Man bun’ can cause baldness say doctors

The researchers removed KROX20 from mice which in turn became bald. When the SCF was removed, the hair on the mice in the study went grey, growing white with age.

Although this project was started in an effort to understand how certain kinds of tumours form, we ended up learning why hair turns grey and discovering the identity of the cell that directly gives rise to hair,” lead researcher Dr. Lu Le, associate professor of dermatology with the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern, said.

READ MORE: A cure for baldness? Scientists use stem cells to grow hair follicles

The study has yet to be conducted on humans so those hoping to see their grey go away or to make hair out of thin air may have to wait awhile.

“With this knowledge, we hope in the future to create a topical compound or to safely deliver the necessary gene to hair follicles to correct these cosmetic problems,” Le said.</s>As we get older, many of us struggle with the harsh reality of our hair turning grey or falling out. But despite how common these problems are, scientists have struggled to identify their underlying biological cause, which means that we've been stuck using quick fixes such as hair dye and toupees to mask the problem.

Now, scientists have finally identified the specific cells that cause hair to grow and develop pigment in mice - a big step towards developing a treatment for grey hair and baldness.

The researchers actually stumbled upon these 'hair progenitor cells' by accident while researching a rare genetic disorder that causes tumours to grow on nerves, called Neurofibromatosis Type 1.

"Although this project was started in an effort to understand how certain kinds of tumours form, we ended up learning why hair turns grey and discovering the identity of the cell that directly gives rise to hair," said lead researcher Lu Le from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre.

"With this knowledge, we hope in the future to create a topical compound or to safely deliver the necessary gene to hair follicles to correct these cosmetic problems."

Researchers already knew that skin stem cells contained in the bulge at the bottom of hair follicles were involved in hair growth, but they weren't quite sure what it was made these skin cells turn into hair cells. So they couldn't begin to find a way to target them or stimulate their growth.

But while researching tumour formation on nerve cells, they discovered the protein that sets these cells apart.

Called KROX20, the protein is more commonly associated with nerve development. But in hair follicles in mice the team discovered it switches on in skin cells that will go on to become the hair shaft that makes hair grow.

This protein then causes these cells to produce a protein called stem cell factor (SCF), and when both of these molecules are expressed in a cell, they move up the hair bulb, interact with pigment-producing melanocyte cells, and grow into healthy, coloured hairs.

But if one or the other is missing, the process goes wrong. When the team deleted the KROX20-producing cells, they found that no hair grew and mice became bald.

When they deleted the SCF gene in these hair-progenitor cells, the animal's hair turned white.

To be clear, this research has only been conducted in mice so far. While we have a lot of biological similarities with mice, the study needs to be repeated in humans before we can get too excited.

But Le and his team are already working on a project that will look for KROX20 and SCF in people with greying and thinning hair, in an attempt to work out whether it's associated with male pattern baldness in humans.

The hope is that it might not only teach us about why our hair changes as we get older, but also ageing in general. And the fact that the research could potentially lead to treatments that will help us look younger for longer doesn't hurt either.

The research has been published in Genes & Development.</s>It is a problem that is even striking teenagers and middle-aged men and women. Hair loss or baldness was most known to attack aging men, but it is a divergent problem these days.

-- There are many causes of hair loss most of which is hardly thought to be the root. It is more associated with genetics and hormonal imbalances for the case of women, but there are many other causes of hair loss that have to be revealed.Hair transplant procedures today are the leading hair restoration techniques which produce natural and as well as permanent results. If that is the case, can we go on living the same way because we know about the best solution for hair loss?Dr. K.K. Arora (MBBS, MS, M.ch plastic surgery Russia) and one of the experts in the hair transplant sector in India says that unless people change their lifestyles and habits before and after a hair transplant; there won't be a bigger change. He continues to say that if anyone wants to retain his or her hair after a hair transplant, he must take proactive measures to avoid the same scenario. If anyone is to avoid losing hair he or she can follow the instructions below;Most people know hair loss as a genetic problem and they are less concerned about it. The fact is hair loss is divided into different types such as Alopecia Areata which is the sudden loss of hair from some parts of the scalp, Telogen Effluvium resulting from stress, and Trichotillomania, a psychological problem where one pulls out his or her own hair.One may feel secure from all these cases, but hair loss can occur to anyone at any age.Over braiding and styling of hair are never advisable for anyone. Exposing hair to the heat in the saloons is also another instance that weakens the hair follicles causing them to fall out easily. Leaving the hair to relax for about 2 weeks before you style again will allow the hair roots to strengthen.This also calls for proper massaging of the scalp with hair oil or onion juice at least twice a week. Avoid harsh hair products because they destroy the hair cells.If you are at the risk of losing hair, mind what you eat every single meal to reduce the chances of losing hair immediately. Biotin sources like milk products and eggs, Vitamin B, meat, fish, amla, avocado, spinach, and legumes have nutrients that prevent and reduce hair fall.Smoking may seem proper to many men and women in India, but a silent killer. Smoking doesn't only pollute the air, but blocks the pores meant to pass air in the scalp. It also reduces the functionality of the hair cells and roots causing degeneration at the end.Many deprive themselves of sleep due to a number of reasons. Sleep is very important to all humans because it is the time the body rests from all the day's hard work. Sleeping at least 7 to 9 hours will help the body regenerate its cells and repair the worn out ones to reduce hair loss.These simple ways will at least help in eliminating hair loss.Our Company Website: http://hairtransplantinaustralia.com/
The journal Genes & Development publishes research from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in a mouse-model study (which may translate over to humans) alluding as to why hair turns gray and goes bald. The scientists describe a protein called KROX20 which switches on skin cells that become a hair shaft, which then causes cells to produce another protein called stem cell factor. In mice, these two proteins are important for baldness and graying.