Abstract 4300: Constitutive activation of Stat3 increases hair follicle progenitor population at the expense of bulge region keratinocyte stem cells

The study investigated the effects of constitutive activation of Stat3 on hair follicle progenitor populations and bulge region keratinocyte stem cells (KSCs) in mice. It was found that in K5.Stat3C transgenic mice, which express an active form of Stat3, there was a significant reduction in CD34+ve/α6+ve KSCs in the bulge region compared to non-transgenic mice. Conversely, there was an increase in Sca-1 expressing cells in the hair follicle infundibulum. The activation of Stat3 led to the upregulation of Myc and cyclin D1, and a reduction in α6 and β1 integrin levels, suggesting that Stat3 activation causes stem cells to exit the bulge region. This indicated that Stat3 played a crucial role in regulating the behavior and growth properties of bulge region KSCs.