The dermal papilla cells (DPCs) of hair follicles are known to secrete paracrine factors for follicular cells. Shotgun proteomic analysis was performed by South Korean group of scientists to compare the expression profiles of the secretomes of human DPCs and dermal fibroblasts (DFs).

In this study, the proteins secreted by DPCs and matched DFs were analyzed by 1DE/LTQ FTICR MS/MS, semi-quantitatively determined using emPAI mole percent values and then characterized using protein interaction network analysis. Among the 1,271 and 1,188 proteins identified in DFs and DPCs, respectively, 1,529 were further analyzed using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis tool.

Scientists identified 28 DPC-specific extracellular matrix proteins including transporters (ECM1, A2M), enzymes (LOX, PON2), and peptidases (C3, C1R). The biochemically-validated DPC-specific proteins included thrombospondin 1 (THBS1), an insulin-like growth factor binding protein3 (IGFBP3), and, of particular interest, an integrin beta1 subunit (ITGB1) as a key network core protein. Using the shotgun proteomic technique and network analysis, they selected ITGB1, IGFBP3, and THBS1 as being possible hair-growth modulating protein biomarkers.