The Monitor Daily

Thursday, January 28, 2021
Log in

As a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, this site may earn from qualifying purchases. We may also earn commissions on purchases from other retail websites.

  • Home
  • Politics & National News
  • Business News
  • Tech & Science
  • Health & Lifestyle
  • About us
    • Contact US
    • Privacy Policy GDPR
    • Terms of Use
  • Latest News
    • Stormy Planet
    • US Surgeon Performs Face Transplant
    • 2017 MTV VMAs Nominations Are In And Voting Is Now Open
    • Bright House: Free McAfee AntiVirus and Adult Controls
    • Antarctic Yeti Crab Gets Formal Scientific Name
    • Spiders Take Over Australian Town
    • Interesting Facts About the Apollo 11 Mission
    • Social Smoking or The New Landmark of Elegance Among Young Women
    • Rare Weasel Returns To Washington State

Pages

  • About The Monitor Daily
  • Contact US
  • Our Team
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Terms of Use

Recent Posts

  • Precisely what is Administration Buyback? Feb 12, 2020
  • Precisely what is Administration Buyback? Feb 12, 2020
  • Where by do Registered requests get kept Dec 1, 2019
  • Find a Star of the event on the Submit Purchase New bride List May 19, 2019
  • Locate Really enjoy On the internet Apr 30, 2019
  • Get Love On the net Apr 12, 2019
  • NYC Man Snaps Photo of the Victim After Sucker-Punching Him in Broad Daylight Jun 29, 2018

New Study Proposes Another Possible Cause for Gray Hair (Study)

By Leave a Comment

back of woman with short gray hair

The latest research found a link between gray hair and the immune system and its response.

 

New research from the National Institutes of Health at the University of Alabama in Birmingham found a link between chronic illness or stress and gray hair. Study results are available in a paper in PLOS on May 3, 2018.

In it, the authors explain how the immune response affects the MITF protein. This is a substance that controls the interferon response in stem cells and prevents hair color loss. The researchers found that hair turns gray when the MITF protein stops working.

 

“This new discovery suggests that genes that control pigment in hair and skin also work to control the innate immune system,” states William Pavan, a study co-author.

 

The Link Between the Immune System and Gray Hair

 

The immune system defends the body against bacteria, viruses, and other threats. Threatened cells produce interferons. These are molecules that signal other cells to activate the genes that stop viruses from spreading. In doing so, they help protect the body.

During their study, the research team discovered that the graying process is involved with immune dysregulation. The MITF protein affects the genes that warn the body of infection. It also seems to influence the genes that influence hair color.

When a foreign substance attacks the body, the immune system starts to fight it and sends interferons to warn the other cells. The MITF not only regulates the function of the melanocytes, but it also controls the interferon.

If the interferons stop working in the melanocytes, it can result in a graying process. Studies showed that the artificial activation of the immune system in genetically predisposed mice also accelerated the graying process.

According to Melissa Harris, Ph.D., author and assistant professor of biology at UAB, studying gray hair is an easy way of observing dysfunctions in melanocyte stem cells.

The collected data implies that the genes which control hair pigmentation also control innate immunity. These latest results could help researchers find new ways of treating immune disorders, such as vitiligo, a condition that causes discolored patches of skin.

Researchers add that an infection alone does not explain gray hair, but the latest data may help understand the effect of genes on aging.

Still, more research will also be needed as this study was conducted on mice.

 

Image Source: Wikimedia

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Filed Under: Health & Lifestyle

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 34 other subscribers

Operation Paperclip

Remembering Georg von Tiesenhausen, Last Member of Von Braun’s Rocket Team

By Leave a Comment

giant ground sloths on white background

It Seems that Giant Sloths Once Roamed Earth, and Humans Used to Hunt Them? (Study)

By Leave a Comment

sn 2001ig supernova explosion and images of its stars

A Star Escaped a Supernova Explosion, and NASA Snapped its Picture

By Leave a Comment

ngc 6420 galaxy resembling a giant butterfly

Hubble Spots Giant Butterfly Formed by a Black Hole and Stellar Winds (Study)

By Leave a Comment

infrared image of a dog

Space Technology Could Help Protect Earth’s Endangered Species

By Leave a Comment

snake slithering on a beige background

Kirigami Skin Is Helping a Soft Robot Slither Like a Snake (Study)

By Leave a Comment

woolly mammoth

Ice Age Tracks Reveal How Young Mammoths Cared for Adult Ones (Study)

By Leave a Comment

High Priestess tomb.

Archaeologists Discovered 4400-Years-Old High Priestess Tomb Near Cairo

By Leave a Comment

dwarf galaxies

Dwarf Galaxies Challenge the Entire Dark Matter Cosmology (Study)

By Leave a Comment

NASA Scientists and Food Experiments

NASA Scientists to Test if Astronauts Could Eat Their Own Poo

By Leave a Comment

KFC Smoky Wings Box Can Turn into Awesome Drone

By Leave a Comment

Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S Involved in Autopilot Malfunction Accident

By Leave a Comment

Duke Nukem.

John Cena Cold Feature in Duke Nukem Movie

By Leave a Comment

Battlefield One

Battlefield One Apocalypse DLC to Land in February

By Leave a Comment

Related Articles

  • eye procedure

    Queensland Mother Mutilated After Non-Invasive Eye Procedure Goes Sideways

  • HIV

    Northwest Arkansas Man Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Contracting HIV with the Purpose of Infecting Others

  • Meditation

    Yale Scientists Pinpointed the Brain Area for Spiritual Experiences

  • artificial intelligence

    Artificial Intelligence Outperforms Dermatologist in Melanoma Diagnosis

  • pill

    Arlington Doctor Gets 3 Years in Prison for Slipping Abortion Pill in Woman’s Tea

  • two people jogging

    Being Physically Active Can Reportedly Make You Happier (Study)

  • OCD Twins Commit Suicide

    OCD Twins Committed Suicide, Freemont County Sheriff Confirms

  • fingerprint

    You Might Have Traces of Class A Drugs on Your Fingerprints

  • Bariatric surgery

    Star of ‘My 600-Lbs Life’ Dies of Heart Attack Following Bariatric Surgery

  • Largest Brain Tumor

    Mumbai Neurosurgeons Removed the Largest Brain Tumor in the World 

Categories

  • Business News
  • Entertainment
  • Featured
  • Health & Lifestyle
  • Nature
  • Politics & National
  • Sports
  • Tech & Science
  • US
  • World

Copyright © 2021 TheMonitorDaily.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Sitemap · Contact

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.