Abstract
If the cure to baldness has a scent, it may smell like sandalwood. Researchers have discovered a receptor in hair follicles that activates in response to a sandalwood-scented molecule, promoting hair growth (Nat. Commun. 2018, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05973-0). Olfactory receptors capture odorant molecules, eventually producing the sense of smell. Originally identified in the nose, they were subsequently discovered in other parts of the body. In prior work, Ralf Paus of the University of Miami and colleagues studied an olfactory receptor, OR2AT4, found in skin cells. They observed an increase in skin-cell proliferation and wound healing after OR2AT4 bound to Sandalore (shown), a trademarked synthetic sandalwood odorant used in many products. Wound healing and hair growth are connected, Paus says, which gave him the idea to look for OR2AT4 in hair follicles. Now, the researchers have determined that hair follicles indeed express OR2AT4 during the part of their cycle associated with hair
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