A research team working at the University of Sweden identified a new gene that may prove important in the fight against hair loss. Scientists found that the gene, Lhx2, is crucial in regulating hair growth during a hair follicle’s expansion, or Anagen, phase.
Researchers have discovered that Lhx2 is present during the Anagen (growth) phase, follicles cannot produce new hair in the absence of Lhx2, and the gene can actually activate the growth cycle. These findings make Lhx2 and its effect on follicular cycles and genetic hair growth an important tool in future balding research.
_______________________
Blake Bloxham – formerly “Future_HT_Doc”
Editorial Assistant and Forum Co-Moderator for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum
Follow our community on Twitter
Watch hair transplant videos on YouTube
Technorati Tags: hair loss, Lhx2, hair growth, hair follicle, follicular cycles, genetic hair growth, balding
I'm at thirty-one year old man with a Norwood 6 level of hair loss. I…
I'm a 31 year old male I have been losing hair for the past six…
I'm concerned that i'm going bald. My dad is 54 years old, and still has…
I'm a 30-year old male with a Norwood 4 hair loss pattern. I have been…
I'm twenty years old and already have aggressive hair loss. I'm imbetween a Norwood 5…
I'm interested in getting a hair transplant later this year, but I am a very…
View Comments
Hi! I do not have hair loss, but I have 4C hair--the hardest to grow out. I want to grow it, but I already have the longest hair in my family, and its not even that long. I am South Sudanese and if a South Sudanese person has long hair, it is rare. I want to know if Lhx2 will somehow help me and will this research be able to help me with my hair growth, despite my genetics.
I do not have hair loss, but I have 4c hair--the hardest hair type to grow out. There are some people with long 4c hair, but my family doesn't. Is there a way to grow it out even with my genetics and is there a way this research could help do that?
Nicolle,
While I definitely recommend reviewing a scholarly source and including a citation with this information in your school paper, 'stopping' hair growth is normally caused by the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) by an enzyme called 5-alpha-reductase 2.
Once this testosterone is converted to DHT, it affects the hair follicles and 'stops' their function, essentially stopping hair growth in the sense that the follicles die off and no longer produces hairs.
I suppose this is as close to inhibition as you can come, but as far as LHX2 is concerned, I'm unsure if they have isolated what inhibits this gene (probably some type of DNA transcription regulator inhibitor) as it's newly identified.
I hope this helps, but I do want to stress the fact that this is not the type of information you want to include in any sort of school project without linking it back to a scholarly resource (which shouldn't be hard to find).
Good luck, and study hard!
Blake (Future_HT_Doc)
Editorial Assistant
Hi,
I'm working on a school project.
Do you know what the inhibitor is to stop hair growth?
Or perhaps, stop the production of LHX2?
Kumar,
Drinking a beer at the end of each week has no effect on hair loss. It's likely that the loss is being caused by something else (ie: genetics) and I recommend making an appointment with a dermatologist, discussing the situation, and investigating preventive medications like finasteride/Propecia (https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/product/PROF/PropeciaFinasteride/) and minoxidil/Rogaine (https://www.hairrestorationnetwork.com/category/ROGA/Rogaine-Products/). Good luck!
Blake (Future_HT_Doc)
Editorial Assistant
hi.. iam lossing my hair an i use to drink beer every weak end is it problem from this...........