Genetically Induced Cell Death in Bulge Stem Cells Reveals Their Redundancy for Hair and Epidermal Regeneration

    December 2014 in “ Stem Cells ”
    Iwona M. Driskell, Feride Oeztuerk-Winder, Peter Humphreys, Michaela Frye
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    Studysummary This study found that quiescent bulge stem cells, when prevented from contributing to hair follicle and epidermal regeneration, did not affect hair follicle growth or wound healing in the short term. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.
    The document reports a study that explored the necessity of bulge stem cells in hair and skin regeneration by deleting the Setd8 gene in these cells of Setd8-knockout mice. The study involved 12 mice, with 9 as controls and 3 as knockouts. Despite the induced cell death in the Setd8-depleted bulge stem cells, the hair follicles and skin morphology of the knockout mice remained unchanged, suggesting that these cells are not essential for hair and epidermal regeneration. The findings indicate that there are redundant mechanisms in place that allow the skin to maintain its structure and function without the contribution of bulge stem cells. The study provides evidence that other cell populations can compensate for the loss of these stem cells in the short term.
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