775 Hyperactivation of sympathetic nerves drives melanocyte stem cell depletion

Abstract

Empirical and anecdotal evidence have associated stress with accelerated hair greying (formation of unpigmented hairs), but the scientific evidence linking the two is scant. Here, we report that acute stress leads to hair greying through fast depletion of melanocyte stem cells (MeSCs). Combining adrenalectomy, denervation, chemogenetics, cell ablation, and MeSC-specific adrenergic receptor knockout, we found that stress-induced MeSC loss is independent of immune attack or adrenal stress hormones.