This study came out earlier this year in Cell Regeneration.
They used a system to assess the impact of mitochondrial function on melanocytes and their stem cells, which are the cells that produce colored pigment.
They did this by genetically deleting an enzyme called deoxyguanosine kinase - which is needed for mitochondria to synthesize their DNA.
Without it, mitochondria don't get the proteins they need and don't work properly.
What we see here is melanocytes dying in the hair follicles.
The red portion is a label for melanocytes.
See how there is little to no red in the right picture? That is because those cells are not there without that mitochondrial enzyme.
This shows the importance of proper mitochondrial function for maintaining these cells.