TIL:
The reason I have so much grey hair is that my melanocyte stem cells (McSCs) have GIVEN UP. They're supposed to go back to the 'germ compartment' where they can be renewed into pigment cells.
Instead, they just sit there & stop making pigment.
I get it, melanocyte stem cells. I get it.
The reason I have so much grey hair is that my melanocyte stem cells (McSCs) have GIVEN UP. They're supposed to go back to the 'germ compartment' where they can be renewed into pigment cells.
Instead, they just sit there & stop making pigment.
I get it, melanocyte stem cells. I get it.
Study Links ‘Stuck’ Stem Cells to Hair Turning Gray
NYU Langone study shows that the loss of chameleon-like function in melanocyte stem cells may be responsible for graying and loss of hair color. Learn more.
nyulangone.org
May 12, 2025 at 12:07 AM
TIL:
The reason I have so much grey hair is that my melanocyte stem cells (McSCs) have GIVEN UP. They're supposed to go back to the 'germ compartment' where they can be renewed into pigment cells.
Instead, they just sit there & stop making pigment.
I get it, melanocyte stem cells. I get it.
The reason I have so much grey hair is that my melanocyte stem cells (McSCs) have GIVEN UP. They're supposed to go back to the 'germ compartment' where they can be renewed into pigment cells.
Instead, they just sit there & stop making pigment.
I get it, melanocyte stem cells. I get it.
We can see this when people clone their pets and get totally different colors too! (Obviously there are environmental factors that can alter melanocyte distribution, but still!)
Turns out cloning clones eventually fails, just like photocopying photocopies. Which means clones
aren't really clones - they're not genetically identical 🧪
Teruhiko Wakayama thinks the cloning process induces lots of mutations 🧬 tho he hasn't proved it yet
www.newscientist.com/article/2520...
aren't really clones - they're not genetically identical 🧪
Teruhiko Wakayama thinks the cloning process induces lots of mutations 🧬 tho he hasn't proved it yet
www.newscientist.com/article/2520...
Why clones aren't really clones – and what that means for cloning
A 20-year study has shown that, like photocopying photocopies, cloning doesn't produce perfect copies – and the reason could be that the cloning process itself produces lots of mutations
www.newscientist.com
March 25, 2026 at 3:06 PM
We can see this when people clone their pets and get totally different colors too! (Obviously there are environmental factors that can alter melanocyte distribution, but still!)
… and we are very happy that our study on extrinsic control of melanocyte functions is published - kudos to @caroleluthold.bsky.social & co-authors! We found that distinct #ECM components impinge on #MITF, #melanocyte differentiation & #mechanosensation. Find out more here: doi.org/10.1038/s443...
September 22, 2025 at 2:01 PM
… and we are very happy that our study on extrinsic control of melanocyte functions is published - kudos to @caroleluthold.bsky.social & co-authors! We found that distinct #ECM components impinge on #MITF, #melanocyte differentiation & #mechanosensation. Find out more here: doi.org/10.1038/s443...
The molecular mechanisms of hair greying and how to prevent it
"Dedifferentiation maintains melanocyte stem cells in a dynamic niche"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"Dedifferentiation maintains melanocyte stem cells in a dynamic niche"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
March 10, 2025 at 1:28 AM
The molecular mechanisms of hair greying and how to prevent it
"Dedifferentiation maintains melanocyte stem cells in a dynamic niche"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"Dedifferentiation maintains melanocyte stem cells in a dynamic niche"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Asymmetrical melanocyte activity during the second quarter of feather development.
June 18, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Asymmetrical melanocyte activity during the second quarter of feather development.
Researchers found that hormones produced in response to stress can deplete the melanocyte stem cells that determine hair color. But there’s no scientific evidence that this can happen within hours due to trauma. 2/2
May 3, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Researchers found that hormones produced in response to stress can deplete the melanocyte stem cells that determine hair color. But there’s no scientific evidence that this can happen within hours due to trauma. 2/2
Researchers found that hormones produced in response to stress can deplete the melanocyte stem cells that determine hair color. But there’s no scientific evidence that this can happen within hours due to trauma. 2/2
November 25, 2024 at 9:58 AM
Researchers found that hormones produced in response to stress can deplete the melanocyte stem cells that determine hair color. But there’s no scientific evidence that this can happen within hours due to trauma. 2/2
This makes melanocytes different from most stem cells, which make a one-way journey as they develop. The McSCs are supposed to sort of shuttle back & forth, being renewed.
This lack of migration can also result from stress, which is why having kids makes you go grey earlier.
Primary source here:
This lack of migration can also result from stress, which is why having kids makes you go grey earlier.
Primary source here:
Dedifferentiation maintains melanocyte stem cells in a dynamic niche - Nature
Local microenvironmental cues modulate melanocyte stem cells, which control hair pigmentation, to enter different differentiation states, shifting between hair follicle stem cell and transit-amplifyin...
www.nature.com
May 12, 2025 at 12:07 AM
This makes melanocytes different from most stem cells, which make a one-way journey as they develop. The McSCs are supposed to sort of shuttle back & forth, being renewed.
This lack of migration can also result from stress, which is why having kids makes you go grey earlier.
Primary source here:
This lack of migration can also result from stress, which is why having kids makes you go grey earlier.
Primary source here:
Melanocyte injections.
March 2, 2026 at 8:40 AM
Melanocyte injections.
Melanocyte stem cells undergo cellular senescence-coupled differentiation (seno-differentiation) in response to DNA double-strand breaks, resulting in their selective depletion and hair greying, and effectively protecting against melanoma.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Antagonistic stem cell fates under stress govern decisions between hair greying and melanoma - Nature Cell Biology
Mohri et al. show that, in response to genotoxic stress, melanocyte stem cells undergo senescence-associated differentiation, causing their depletion and protecting them against melanomagenesis. This ...
www.nature.com
October 24, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Melanocyte stem cells undergo cellular senescence-coupled differentiation (seno-differentiation) in response to DNA double-strand breaks, resulting in their selective depletion and hair greying, and effectively protecting against melanoma.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Scientists are uncovering the hidden purpose behind gray hair. Melanocyte stem cells, responsible for hair color, may sacrifice themselves when damaged, causing strands to gray while protecting the body from potential tumor formation.
READ MORE: www.profolus.com/topics/hair-...
READ MORE: www.profolus.com/topics/hair-...
March 16, 2026 at 6:30 AM
Scientists are uncovering the hidden purpose behind gray hair. Melanocyte stem cells, responsible for hair color, may sacrifice themselves when damaged, causing strands to gray while protecting the body from potential tumor formation.
READ MORE: www.profolus.com/topics/hair-...
READ MORE: www.profolus.com/topics/hair-...
Richards, Devenport et al. @princetonmolbio.bsky.social show that #melanocyte precursors form dynamic E-cadherin based attachments to surrounding #keratinocytes that stabilize migratory protrusions and sustain long-distance #migration as they colonize the #epidermis. rupress.org/jcb/article/...
January 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Richards, Devenport et al. @princetonmolbio.bsky.social show that #melanocyte precursors form dynamic E-cadherin based attachments to surrounding #keratinocytes that stabilize migratory protrusions and sustain long-distance #migration as they colonize the #epidermis. rupress.org/jcb/article/...
what causes accelerated hair graying? 👨🦳
Stress-induced hyperactivation of noradrenergic inputs to melanocyte stem cells (hair pigment makers) triggers rapid proliferation, differentiation & migration, depleting stem cell niches & halting pigment production.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#SciComm 🧪
Stress-induced hyperactivation of noradrenergic inputs to melanocyte stem cells (hair pigment makers) triggers rapid proliferation, differentiation & migration, depleting stem cell niches & halting pigment production.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#SciComm 🧪
March 26, 2025 at 5:51 PM
what causes accelerated hair graying? 👨🦳
Stress-induced hyperactivation of noradrenergic inputs to melanocyte stem cells (hair pigment makers) triggers rapid proliferation, differentiation & migration, depleting stem cell niches & halting pigment production.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#SciComm 🧪
Stress-induced hyperactivation of noradrenergic inputs to melanocyte stem cells (hair pigment makers) triggers rapid proliferation, differentiation & migration, depleting stem cell niches & halting pigment production.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s415...
#SciComm 🧪
Excited to share that our paper, “Somatic mutations distinguish melanocyte subpopulations in human skin,” is now out in Nature Cell Biology.
Reposting the thread below ⬇️
Reposting the thread below ⬇️
Happy to share the latest preprint from our lab, “Somatic mutations distinguish melanocyte subpopulations in human skin”. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... [1]
Somatic mutations distinguish melanocyte subpopulations in human skin
To better understand the homeostatic mechanisms governing melanocytes, we performed deep phenotyping of clonal expansions of single melanocytes from human skin. In total, we interrogated the mutationa...
www.biorxiv.org
April 27, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Excited to share that our paper, “Somatic mutations distinguish melanocyte subpopulations in human skin,” is now out in Nature Cell Biology.
Reposting the thread below ⬇️
Reposting the thread below ⬇️
Sandra Iden @sandraiden.bsky.social @idenlab.bsky.social @uni-saarland.de @pharmascihub.bsky.social and co-workers show that #melanocyte #differentiation and #mechanosensation are differentially modulated by distinct extracellular matrix proteins. #ECM #MITF
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
September 19, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Sandra Iden @sandraiden.bsky.social @idenlab.bsky.social @uni-saarland.de @pharmascihub.bsky.social and co-workers show that #melanocyte #differentiation and #mechanosensation are differentially modulated by distinct extracellular matrix proteins. #ECM #MITF
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
www.embopress.org/doi/full/10....
Melanocyte-stimulating peptides that cause sexual aggression in rodents and lots of raw meat
August 21, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Melanocyte-stimulating peptides that cause sexual aggression in rodents and lots of raw meat
Excited to share our latest work from @shainlab.bsky.social lab, now out in Nature Cell Biology: “Somatic mutations distinguish melanocyte subpopulations in human skin.”
We find evidence that melanocyte stem cell dynamics shape human skin homeostasis and UV response.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We find evidence that melanocyte stem cell dynamics shape human skin homeostasis and UV response.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com
April 29, 2026 at 12:18 AM
Excited to share our latest work from @shainlab.bsky.social lab, now out in Nature Cell Biology: “Somatic mutations distinguish melanocyte subpopulations in human skin.”
We find evidence that melanocyte stem cell dynamics shape human skin homeostasis and UV response.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We find evidence that melanocyte stem cell dynamics shape human skin homeostasis and UV response.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Single melanocyte died and now a tiny part of the tit will just have to be white
July 21, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Single melanocyte died and now a tiny part of the tit will just have to be white
Nociceptor-derived CGRP strengthens cDC1-CD8+ T cell interactions, leading to melanocyte destruction and white patches in vitiligo
www.cell.com/immunity/ful... @cp-immunity.bsky.social
www.cell.com/immunity/ful... @cp-immunity.bsky.social
June 16, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Nociceptor-derived CGRP strengthens cDC1-CD8+ T cell interactions, leading to melanocyte destruction and white patches in vitiligo
www.cell.com/immunity/ful... @cp-immunity.bsky.social
www.cell.com/immunity/ful... @cp-immunity.bsky.social
Scientists are uncovering the hidden purpose behind gray hair. Melanocyte stem cells, responsible for hair color, may sacrifice themselves when damaged, causing strands to gray while protecting the body from potential tumor formation.
Hair Graying Suggests Cellular Mechanisms Against Cancer - Profolus
Hair graying could reflect a cellular defense mechanism against cancer.
www.profolus.com
December 11, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Scientists are uncovering the hidden purpose behind gray hair. Melanocyte stem cells, responsible for hair color, may sacrifice themselves when damaged, causing strands to gray while protecting the body from potential tumor formation.
☕Mohri et al. show that, in response to genotoxic stress, #melanocyte #StemCells undergo #senescence - associated differentiation, causing their depletion and protecting them against melanomagenesis. This process is suppressed by #carcinogens.
👉https://rdcu.be/eOAMp
bit.ly/4oNMu16
👉https://rdcu.be/eOAMp
bit.ly/4oNMu16
Antagonistic stem cell fates under stress govern decisions between hair greying and melanoma - Nature Cell Biology
Mohri et al. show that, in response to genotoxic stress, melanocyte stem cells undergo senescence-associated differentiation, causing their depletion and protecting them against melanomagenesis. This ...
bit.ly
November 6, 2025 at 1:41 PM
☕Mohri et al. show that, in response to genotoxic stress, #melanocyte #StemCells undergo #senescence - associated differentiation, causing their depletion and protecting them against melanomagenesis. This process is suppressed by #carcinogens.
👉https://rdcu.be/eOAMp
bit.ly/4oNMu16
👉https://rdcu.be/eOAMp
bit.ly/4oNMu16
#Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition involving an interplay between intrinsic melanocyte defects and altered innate and adaptive immune responses. https://www.nature.c...
December 13, 2025 at 5:53 PM
#Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition involving an interplay between intrinsic melanocyte defects and altered innate and adaptive immune responses. https://www.nature.c...
Looks like a melanocyte mutant.
April 12, 2025 at 11:22 AM
Looks like a melanocyte mutant.
Happy to share the latest preprint from our lab, “Somatic mutations distinguish melanocyte subpopulations in human skin”. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... [1]
Somatic mutations distinguish melanocyte subpopulations in human skin
To better understand the homeostatic mechanisms governing melanocytes, we performed deep phenotyping of clonal expansions of single melanocytes from human skin. In total, we interrogated the mutationa...
www.biorxiv.org
February 13, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Happy to share the latest preprint from our lab, “Somatic mutations distinguish melanocyte subpopulations in human skin”. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... [1]