Massaging proteins

Physorg.com reports that scientists at the University of Manchester in the UK have managed to hyperactivate a 'hair protein' in embryonic mice that resulted in "young with considerably more fur [produced] than normal." During human development, skin cells have the ability to turn into different types of cells such as hair follicles or sweat glands. The team of scientists discovered that the transformation of these cells into hair follicles is determined by only three proteins produced by our genes, which they were subsequently able to manipulate in embryonic mice. These findings, though not directly linked to male-pattern baldness, should nonetheless fill in some crucial knowledge gaps for pharmaceutical companies developing treatments for baldness.