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Hair-way to Cancer
18 May 2015

Hair-way to Cancer

Our basal cells line the deepest layer of our epidermis; they continually divide, pushing older ones towards the skin surface. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the uncontrolled growth of these cells and the most common type of cancer in the US. Researchers have found that BCC-like tumours arise from certain hair follicle stem cells mainly because a cascade of molecules – the hedgehog signalling pathway – is abnormally activated. Triggering this pathway requires the loss of genes called tumour suppressors, which work to protect cells from becoming cancerous. Pictured is skin with hair follicles – the emerging hair is seen as a green spear. Nerves were found to be crucial for this tumour progression. Denervating – interrupting the nervous connections – reduced the number of cells at risk of becoming tumours. This is seen as a difference in the red BCs (above the roundish green cells) between normal (top panels) and denervated samples (bottom).

Written by Katie Panteli

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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