Wnt activation: the tips of mammalian digits can regenerate after amputation

[clandestine]

Found an interesting Nature paper posted last week:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23760480

Wnt activation in nail epithelium couples nail growth to digit regeneration.

The tips of mammalian digits can regenerate after amputation, like those of amphibians.
[..]
Here we show that nail stem cells (NSCs) reside in the proximal nail matrix and that the mechanisms governing NSC differentiation are coupled directly with their ability to orchestrate digit regeneration.
[..]
Early nail progenitors undergo Wnt-dependent differentiation into the nail. After amputation, this Wnt activation is required for nail regeneration and also for attracting nerves that promote mesenchymal blastema growth, leading to the regeneration of the digit.

The paper talks about the capacity for regrowth being limited to the area associated with the nail. But both nail and hair are keratinous. Could this have in any regard have applications to hair loss research?

Thoughts?

[KO1]

Look who the authors are. The last author is one Mayumi Ito.

[clandestine]

Not sure I follow, KO. I've never heard the name Mayumi Ito before, do they have something to do with hair loss research?

[KO1]

She was the lead author of the 2007 study - Wnt dependent de novo hair follicle regeneration.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal...ture05766.html

[clandestine]

b

[rdawg]

Histogen uses WNT in their hairloss solution no? so yes I believe it has an effect as that seems to be working at least in a minor extent.

i think the WNT7 has to be used in combination with something else though, which we'll have to figure out!