Hair Follicle Mesenchyme-Associated PD-L1 Regulates T-Cell Activation Induced Apoptosis: A Potential Mechanism of Immune Privilege

September 2013 in “ Journal of Investigative Dermatology ”

Xiaojie Wang, Alexandra K. Marr, Trisia Breitkopf, Gigi Leung, Jianqiang Hao, Eddy Wang, Nicole Kwong, Noushin Akhoundsadegh, Lieping Chen, Alice Mui, Nicholas Carr, Garth L. Warnock, Jerry Shapiro, Kevin J. McElwee

hair follicle dermal papilla dermal sheath cup cells immune privilege programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 PD-L1 T-cell activation apoptosis mitochondrial pathway peripheral blood mononuclear cells T-cell PBMCs

The study investigated the immune privilege (IP) properties of cultured hair follicle (HF) cells, specifically focusing on dermal papilla and dermal sheath cup cells (DSCCs). It was found that these cells exhibited preferential expression of IP-associated genes compared to non-follicular fibroblasts (FBs), indicating potential functional IP. A key finding was the significant upregulation of programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) in DSCCs and dermal papilla cells, which played a role in reducing IFNγ secretion and increasing apoptosis in co-cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The study demonstrated that PD-L1 expression contributed to the IP properties of DSCCs by regulating T-cell activation-induced apoptosis, primarily through the mitochondrial pathway.

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Hair Follicle Mesenchyme-Associated PD-L1 Regulates T-Cell Activation Induced Apoptosis: A Potential Mechanism of Immune Privilege

Research cited in this study

research Somatostatin Expression in Human Hair Follicles and Its Potential Role in Immune Privilege

research Endogenous Retinoids in the Pathogenesis of Alopecia Areata

research Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) May Award Relative Protection from Interferon-γ-Induced Collapse of Human Hair Follicle Immune Privilege

research Can the Hair Follicle Become a Model for Studying Selected Aspects of Human Ocular Immune Privilege?

research Maintenance of Hair Follicle Immune Privilege Is Linked to Prevention of NK Cell Attack

research Neuroimmunoendocrine Circuitry of the Brain-Skin Connection

research Hair Cycle-Specific Expression of Versican in Human Hair Follicles

research Cultured Peribulbar Dermal Sheath Cells Can Induce Hair Follicle Development and Contribute to the Dermal Sheath and Dermal Papilla

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