Faculty Opinions Recommendation of Dermal Sheath Contraction Powers Stem Cell Niche Relocation During Hair Cycle Regression

March 2020 in “ Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ”

Jiro Kishimoto, Yumiko Ishimatsu‐Tsuji

dermal sheath hair follicle regression stem cell niche relocation smooth muscle contractile machinery calcium-calmodulin-myosin light chain kinase pathway

TLDR The dermal sheath's contraction is crucial for hair follicle regression and stem cell relocation.

The study by Heitman et al. revealed that the contraction of the dermal sheath (DS) acts as a smooth muscle to facilitate the relocation of the dermal papilla (DP) during the catagen phase of the hair cycle. This biomechanical mechanism was proposed as a novel concept for niche relocation. The researchers used DS-specific targeting with the cartilage proteoglycan aggrecan (Acan) as a genetic driver to demonstrate that DS is essential for hair follicle regression. Transcriptome analysis showed that DS expresses factors related to smooth muscle contraction, and its contraction was shown to compress hair follicles, a process inhibited by a myosin phosphorylation inhibitor. In vivo 3D time-lapse analysis illustrated that DS contraction generates the force needed to push the hair shaft upward, thereby pulling the DP by its connection to the hair shaft via the epithelial strand.

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