Canine Follicle Stem Cell Candidates Reside in the Bulge and Share Characteristic Features with Human Bulge Cells

The study identified and characterized stem cell candidates in canine hair follicles, finding that these cells shared many features with human bulge cells, including the location of label-retaining cells (LRCs) and the expression of biomarkers like CD200 and DIO2. Canine bulge cell-enriched keratinocytes demonstrated high proliferative capacity in vitro and could regenerate pilosebaceous structures in vivo. The findings suggested that canine bulge cells could serve as a valuable model for studying human hair follicle biology and related disorders, despite the small sample size (n=3 to n=9) indicating preliminary findings that need further validation.