Krause Karoline, Foitzik Kerstin
Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2006 Mar;25(1):2-10. doi: 10.1016/j.sder.2006.01.002.
The mammalian hair follicle represents a unique, highly regenerative neuroectodermal-mesodermal interaction system that contains numerous stem cells. It is the only organ in the mammalian organism that undergoes life-long cycles of rapid growth (anagen), regression (catagen), and resting periods (telogen). These transformations are controlled by changes in the local signaling milieu, based on changes in expression/activity of a constantly growing number of cytokines, hormones, neurotransmitters, and their cognate receptors as well as of transcription factors and enzymes that have become recognized as key mediators of hair follicle cycling. Transplantation experiments have shown that the driving force of cycling, the "hair cycle clock," is located in the hair follicle itself. However, the exact underlying molecular mechanisms that drive this oscillator system remain unclear. These controls of hair follicle cycling are of great clinical interest because hair loss or unwanted hair growth largely reflect undesired changes in hair follicle cycling. To develop therapeutic agents for the management of these hair cycle abnormalities, it is critical to decipher and pharmacologically target the key molecular controls that underlie the enigmatic "hair cycle clock."
哺乳动物毛囊是一个独特的、具有高度再生能力的神经外胚层 - 中胚层相互作用系统，其中包含大量干细胞。它是哺乳动物机体中唯一经历快速生长（生长期）、退化（退行期）和静止期（休止期）终身循环的器官。这些转变由局部信号环境的变化控制，这种变化基于越来越多的细胞因子、激素、神经递质及其同源受体以及已被确认为毛囊周期关键介质的转录因子和酶的表达/活性变化。移植实验表明，循环的驱动力，即“毛发周期时钟”，位于毛囊本身。然而，驱动这个振荡器系统的确切潜在分子机制仍不清楚。毛囊周期的这些调控在临床上具有重大意义，因为脱发或 unwanted hair growth（此处原文有误，推测为“毛发过度生长”）很大程度上反映了毛囊周期的不良变化。为了开发用于治疗这些毛发周期异常的治疗药物，关键是要破解并从药理学上靶向神秘的“毛发周期时钟”背后的关键分子调控机制。
