Humans have little hair compared to mammals like mice, horses, orangutans, and chimpanzees with impressive hair or fur coats. A new study by the University of Utah researchers has provided an explanation for this disparity.
Researchers discover strategies that could help people grow hair
Humans still possess all the genes required to grow a thick hair coat, but evolution seems to have “blocked” those genes. This investigation identifies a collection of genes and control areas of the genome crucial for producing hair. The researchers believe their work will eventually result in novel strategies for regrowing hair after chemotherapy- or alopecia-induced baldness.
Notably, nature has applied the same evolutionary technique to nine different mammals on diverse evolutionary lines. Human geneticist at the University of Utah, Nathan Clark, said they have considered a creative approach to leveraging biological diversity in learning about human genetics. As a result, this has been instrumental in pinpointing genome regions contributing to something important to humans.
In the animal kingdom, fur and hair come in different sizes and shapes. For instance, a cat’s fur is soft, while a monkey’s has coarse body hair. Although humans have hair on their heads, they fall in the hairless category because most of the body is hairless.
Hairless mammals had mutations in genes responsible for hair
Nonetheless, study authors discovered that hairless mammals gained mutations in many comparable genes, even though different species had to lose their hair for various survival and evolutionary reasons. Most importantly, these genes are encoded for keratin and other substances that help to form hair roots and encourage hair growth.
Additionally, the study suggests that regulatory areas of the genome are similarly significant. Although these regions don’t code for the structures that produce hair directly, they may indirectly affect the process. Finally, researchers discovered several genes that have not yet been assigned a function in hair sprouting. In conclusion, this research identifies a new collection of genes involved in hair growth.