Cutaneous Epithelial Stem Cells
January 2014
in “
Elsevier eBooks
”
TLDR Skin and hair renewal is maintained by both fast and slow cycling stem cells, with hair regrowth primarily driven by specific stem cells in the hair follicle bulge. These cells can also help heal wounds and potentially treat hair loss.
The 2013 study "Cutaneous Epithelial Stem Cells" by Denise Gay et al. explored the role of epithelial stem cells in skin and hair regeneration. The researchers found that these stem cells, located in the epidermis and hair follicles, have the capacity for self-renewal and differentiation. The study challenged the traditional model of skin renewal, suggesting that both a rapid cycling progenitor and a slow cycling stem cell maintain skin homeostasis. In hair follicles, stem cells were found to govern cyclical regeneration. The study identified the bulge of the hair follicle as the true stem cell source for hair regrowth, containing at least three distinct subpopulations of stem cells. The study also found that K15+ bulge stem cells in the hair follicle can shift their fate towards the epidermal lineage in response to wound-induced signaling, but do not contribute significantly to skin homeostasis. The document also discussed the potential of using hair follicle stem cells in tissue engineering for the treatment of alopecia, with early experiments showing promising results in regenerating human hair in vivo from bulge-derived stem cells.
