Establishment and Characterization of Five Immortalized Human Scalp Dermal Papilla Cell Lines

In 2018, researchers established five immortalized human scalp dermal papilla (DP) cell lines from a male with androgenetic alopecia, which were named KNU-101, KNU-102, KNU-103, KNU-201, and KNU-202. These cell lines were created by transfecting early passage DP cells with simian virus 40 large T antigen (SV40T-Ag) and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), and they were shown to maintain key characteristics of DP cells, such as expression of DP markers and signature genes, and responses to androgen and other factors important for hair follicle function. The KNU-201 cell line was particularly noted for its ability to maintain DP signature gene expression. These cell lines continued to proliferate stably after over 100 passages, unlike primary DP cells which typically stop proliferating around passage 7. The study concluded that these cell lines could be valuable for future hair growth and regeneration research, with potential implications for treating and preventing hair loss. The research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea.