Grey hair gene discovered, could lead to new treatments

It’s a moment many people dread: Finding their first grey hair. Regardless of gender, many people try to hide this sign of aging, leading women to spend an average of £10,000 ($14,000 USD) on dye in their lifetime, according to a 2013 survey by nice’n easy. But there may soon be a solution more permanent than dye, as researchers have discovered the first known gene for grey hair.
According to the paper published in Nature Communications, an international team of researchers drew blood from and examined the hair and scalp features of 6,630 genetically diverse volunteers across five Latin American countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru).
The gene in question
After the volunteers’ blood was genotyped and the DNA sequences were compared, the team discovered that a gene variant known as IRF4, which is located on chromosome six, was tied to hair greying. IRF4 has been associated with skin, hair, and eye pigmentation in the past, but this find is a first.
“We already know several genes involved in balding and hair colour but this is the first time a gene for greying has been identified in humans, as well as other genes influencing hair shape and density,” lead author Dr. Kaustubh Adhikari, from University College London, told BBC. “It was only possible because we analysed a diverse melting pot of people, which hasn’t been done before on this scale.”
As to how exactly IRF4 causes greying, scientists aren’t sure. Hair itself is colored by melanocytes—cells that sit on the roots of hair and produce various pigments, which are then transferred into the hair fibers. Over time, these melanocytes cease to produce the hair color pigments, leading to grey hair. What triggers this change is still uncertain.
The same study also found nine other new associations between genes and hair and scalp features, including ones for hair and beard shape, balding, monobrows, and eyebrow and beard thickness. However, these genes aren’t likely the only cause for these features.
“The genes we have identified are unlikely to work in isolation to cause greying or straight hair, or thick eyebrows, but have a role to play along with many other factors yet to be identified,” said Adhikari.
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