Development and Maintenance of Epidermal Stem Cells in Skin Appendages

December 2020 in “ International journal of molecular sciences ”

Jaroslav Mokrý, Rishikaysh Pisal

TLDR Epidermal stem cells create and maintain skin structures like hair and nails through specific signaling pathways and vary by location and function.

The document reviews the role of epidermal stem cells (SCs) in the development and maintenance of skin appendages such as hair, feathers, nails, and skin glands. It explains that these structures originate from epithelial SCs, which differentiate into various skin adnexa due to the Wnt–(Dkk4)–Eda–Shh signalling cascade and its slight variations. The review emphasizes that different skin structures are formed from distinct SC pools located in specific niches, which influence SC behavior and result in varied marker and gene expression patterns among SC subsets. It also discusses the coordinated activity of epidermal SCs with other skin cells during the hair cycle and skin regeneration after injury, and it identifies several markers, proteins, and transcription factors associated with epidermal SCs.

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