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In 1956, researchers first observed that wound healing in the skin could lead to de novo hair genesis. Now, a research team has determined the genetic mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon.
The researchers excised 1 cm2 of full-thickness back skin from 3-week-old mice, at least 2 weeks after the last hair follicles had formed. Epidermal downgrowths that resembled embryonic hair follicles could be observed 14 to 19 days after excision. Older mice (age range, 7 weeks to 10 months) also showed hair follicle neogenesis after excision, but larger wounds were required in these mice to trigger follicle formation. The molecular profile of these wound-associated follicles (WAFs) resembled that of bona fide embryonic follicles. The regenerated hair…