Deriving Keratinocyte Progenitor Cells and Keratinocytes from Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
 August 2020   
in “
 Current protocols in stem cell biology 
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    human-induced pluripotent stem cells  keratinocyte progenitor cells  keratinocytes  all-trans retinoic acid  L-ascorbic acid  bone morphogenic protein-4  epidermal growth factor  hair follicle bulge stem cells  CD200  ITGA6  ITGB1  P63  KRT15  KRT19  KRT14  hair follicle restoration  hiPSCs  KPCs  ATRA  L-AA  BMP4  EGF  HFBSCs   
    TLDR  Scientists developed a way to create skin and hair cells from human stem cells, which could help treat burns and restore hair.   
  In the study from August 3, 2020, researchers developed a protocol to differentiate human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into keratinocyte progenitor cells (KPCs) and mature keratinocytes, which are essential for hair and skin regeneration. This differentiation was achieved using a combination of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), L-ascorbic acid (L-AA), bone morphogenic protein-4 (BMP4), and epidermal growth factor (EGF). The hiPSC-derived KPCs were found to express markers consistent with primary hair follicle bulge stem cells (HFBSCs), such as CD200, ITGA6, ITGB1, P63, KRT15, and KRT19. Upon further differentiation, these cells lost CD200 expression and gained KRT14 expression, indicating their maturation into keratinocytes. These findings suggest that hiPSC-derived KPCs and keratinocytes could potentially be used for hair follicle restoration and the treatment of large burns or ulcers, respectively. The study also included various protocols for reprogramming skin fibroblasts into hiPSCs, differentiating hiPSCs into KPCs and keratinocytes, and supporting procedures such as cell passage and immunostaining techniques.