Olfactory receptor OR2AT4 regulates human hair growth

Jérémy Chéret, Marta Bertolini, Leslie Ponce, Janin Lehmann, Teresa Tsai, Majid Alam, Hanns Hatt and Ralf Paus ()
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Jérémy Chéret: Monasterium Laboratory, Skin and Hair Research Solutions GmbH
Marta Bertolini: Monasterium Laboratory, Skin and Hair Research Solutions GmbH
Leslie Ponce: Monasterium Laboratory, Skin and Hair Research Solutions GmbH
Janin Lehmann: Monasterium Laboratory, Skin and Hair Research Solutions GmbH
Teresa Tsai: Ruhr-University Bochum
Majid Alam: Monasterium Laboratory, Skin and Hair Research Solutions GmbH
Hanns Hatt: Ruhr-University Bochum
Ralf Paus: University of Manchester

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Olfactory receptors are expressed by different cell types throughout the body and regulate physiological cell functions beyond olfaction. In particular, the olfactory receptor OR2AT4 has been shown to stimulate keratinocyte proliferation in the skin. Here, we show that the epithelium of human hair follicles, particularly the outer root sheath, expresses OR2AT4, and that specific stimulation of OR2AT4 by a synthetic sandalwood odorant (Sandalore®) prolongs human hair growth ex vivo by decreasing apoptosis and increasing production of the anagen-prolonging growth factor IGF-1. In contrast, co-administration of the specific OR2AT4 antagonist Phenirat® and silencing of OR2AT4 inhibit hair growth. Together, our study identifies that human hair follicles can engage in olfactory receptor-dependent chemosensation and require OR2AT4-mediated signaling to sustain their growth, suggesting that olfactory receptors may serve as a target in hair loss therapy.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05973-0

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