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Have you ever wondered why you had hair on your legs but not on the soles of your feet?
Or why do we have a lot of hair on our head but not a single hair on our palms?
For years, the question has been an open question for doctors, researchers and other specialists in the complex machinery of the human body.
For decades, science has confined itself to considering that it was an evolutionary function of certain animals, but the physiological explanation of how it is produced does not was until recently not a question. answer.
The study published in the journal Cell Reports indicates that "the culprit" who no we get hair in certain areas of our body is a special type of molecule, for more signal, a protein.
According to the researchers, this is Dickkopf 2 (DKK2), which blocks the "WNT signaling pathways", some cellular channels that, among other things, are responsible for triggering growth hair.
"In this study, we show that skin in hairless regions naturally produces an inhibitor that prevents the WNT from doing its job," he told the magazine . Sarah E. Millar, one of the authors of the research.
"We know that WNT signaling is essential for the development of hair follicles, blocking it causes hairless skin and activating it causes more hair to form," he said.
But why do some animals have hair on most of their bodies and others not?
The Things of Evolution
The study suggests that it is, as has been felt for years, an evolutionary adaptation.
The survey considers that some animals evolved to produce DKK2 in parts of their bodies in order to help them survive their environment better
Thus, for example, one hand without hair would be more useful for holding instruments or other tasks, while the absence of villi on the soles of the feet would help to walk better.
On the other hand, in cold climates, it is better if they are coated, as in the case of polar bears.
To reach these conclusions, the team badyzed the skin of the paws of a mouse (which, like the man, did not have hair on his plants) and the compare or with other animals that do, such as rabbits.
When they compared the levels of DKK2 between the two species, they found that the amount of protein was significantly lower in the skin of animals carrying hair on the plant.
Meanwhile, the level of the molecule was much higher in areas where hair does not grow than in hairier areas.
The study indicates that there is no path in these areas.
The researchers now hope that this discovery can be used for new research on hair growth, to treat certain diseases or for future treatments in people with this disease. has suffered serious burns or accidents.
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