The Role of Melanocytes in Hair Growth

Osteopontin is a molecule that awakens follicles, but not dormant cancer. In normal skin, osteopontin comes from dermal papilla, which sit at the base of hair follicles. The team engineered mice with Nevi to not produce osteo-papilla and these moles didn't become hairy. People can have hairy moles for decades, if not their whole lives without danger. But scientists don't know much about how melanocytes affect their environment.