Dermal Papilla Cells Induce Keratinocyte Tubulogenesis in Culture

The study explored the role of dermal papilla (DP) cells in hair follicle development and epidermal morphogenesis using an in vitro model. Researchers modified the isolation method of DP cells from human scalp hair follicles and developed a three-dimensional model to study these processes. The isolated DP cells demonstrated the ability to differentiate in adipogenic and osteogenic directions and maintained alkaline phosphatase activity for seven passages. They were also capable of inducing tubule-like structures and reorganizing the collagen matrix in vitro. To address the issue of DP cells losing their hair follicle-inducing ability after several passages, the researchers immortalized the cells by transfecting them with human telomerase reverse transcriptase cDNA (hTERT). These immortalized DP-hTERT cells retained alkaline phosphatase activity and showed a reduced ability for osteogenic differentiation. Both the conditioned medium from proliferating cells and the DP-hTERT cells themselves were able to induce tubulogenesis in keratinocytes after prolonged cultivation.