Cutaneous Epithelial Stem Cells

November 2013 in “ Elsevier eBooks ”

Maksim V. Plikus, Elsa Treffeisen, Anne Wang, George Cotsarelis

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.

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Research cited in this study

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research Fgf9 From Dermal γδ T Cells Induces Hair Follicle Neogenesis After Wounding

237 citations, June 2013 in “Nature Medicine”

A protein from certain immune cells is key for new hair growth after skin injury in mice.

research Identification of Stem Cell Populations in Sweat Glands and Ducts Reveals Roles in Homeostasis and Wound Repair

265 citations, July 2012 in “Cell”

The study found that sweat glands contain different types of stem cells that help with healing and maintaining healthy skin.

research Fully Functional Hair Follicle Regeneration Through the Rearrangement of Stem Cells and Their Niches

179 citations, April 2012 in “Nature Communications”

Regenerated fully functional hair follicles using stem cells, with potential for hair regrowth therapy.

research Prostaglandin D2 Inhibits Hair Growth and Is Elevated in Bald Scalp of Men with Androgenetic Alopecia

205 citations, March 2012 in “Science Translational Medicine”

PGD2 stops hair growth and is higher in bald men with AGA.

research Reprogramming of Human Hair Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

26 citations, February 2012 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”

Human hair follicle cells can be successfully transformed into different types of cells, but not more efficiently than other adult cells.

research Nerve-Derived Sonic Hedgehog Defines a Niche for Hair Follicle Stem Cells Capable of Becoming Epidermal Stem Cells

396 citations, May 2011 in “Cell stem cell”

Nerve signals are crucial for hair follicle stem cells to become skin stem cells and help in wound healing.

Bald Scalp in Men with Androgenetic Alopecia Retains Hair Follicle Stem Cells but Lacks CD200-Rich and CD34-Positive Hair Follicle Progenitor Cells

research Bald Scalp in Men with Androgenetic Alopecia Retains Hair Follicle Stem Cells but Lacks CD200-Rich and CD34-Positive Hair Follicle Progenitor Cells

235 citations, January 2011 in “Journal of Clinical Investigation”

Men with baldness due to androgenetic alopecia still have hair stem cells, but lack specific cells needed for hair growth.

research Lgr5 Marks Cycling, Yet Long-Lived, Hair Follicle Stem Cells

835 citations, October 2008 in “Nature Genetics”

Lgr5 is a marker for active, long-lasting stem cells in mouse hair follicles.

research Sic Transit Gloria: Farewell to the Epidermal Transit Amplifying Cell?

153 citations, October 2007 in “Cell Stem Cell”

New research suggests that skin cell renewal may not require a special type of cell previously thought to be essential.

research Wnt-Dependent De Novo Hair Follicle Regeneration in Adult Mouse Skin After Wounding

829 citations, May 2007 in “Nature”

Hair follicles can regrow in wounded adult mouse skin using a process like embryo development.

research Characterization and Isolation of Stem Cell-Enriched Human Hair Follicle Bulge Cells

550 citations, December 2005 in “The Journal of clinical investigation/The journal of clinical investigation”

Researchers successfully isolated and identified key markers of stem cell-enriched human hair follicle bulge cells.

research Long-Term Renewal of Hair Follicles from Clonogenic Multipotent Stem Cells

291 citations, October 2005 in “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America”

Adult stem cells from rat whisker follicles can regenerate hair follicles and sebaceous glands.

research Involvement of Follicular Stem Cells in Forming Not Only the Follicle but Also the Epidermis

1010 citations, August 2000 in “Cell”

Hair follicle stem cells can form both hair follicles and skin.

research The Biology of Hair Follicles

1113 citations, August 1999 in “The New England Journal of Medicine”

Hair follicle biology advancements may lead to better hair growth disorder treatments.

Cells Within the Bulge Region of Mouse Hair Follicle Transiently Proliferate During Early Anagen: Heterogeneity and Functional Differences of Various Hair Cycles

research Cells Within the Bulge Region of Mouse Hair Follicle Transiently Proliferate During Early Anagen: Heterogeneity and Functional Differences of Various Hair Cycles

130 citations, January 1994 in “Differentiation”

Mouse hair follicle cells briefly grow during the early hair growth phase, showing that these cells are important for starting the hair cycle.

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