A Review: The Location, Molecular Characterization and Multipotency of Hair Follicle Epidermal Stem Cells

November 2004 in “ Annals of the Academy of Medicine Singapore ”

Dongrui Ma, EN Yang, ST Lee

hair follicle epidermal stem cells bulge region b1-integrin keratin 19 a6-integrin CD71 p63 CD34 wound epidermis epidermis sebaceous glands interfollicular keratinocyte stem cells dermal papilla mesenchyme cells hair growth

TLDR Hair follicle stem cells are mainly in the bulge region and can help repair skin and form hair and glands, but more research is needed to fully understand them.

This review from 2004 focused on hair follicle epidermal stem cells, highlighting their location, molecular markers, and multipotency. It was found that most stem cells resided in the bulge region of the hair follicle, with potential markers including b1-integrin, keratin 19, a6-integrin, CD71, p63, and CD34. Despite these findings, distinguishing stem cells from their progeny remained challenging. The study demonstrated that these stem cells could repopulate wound epidermis and contribute to various structures like the epidermis, hair follicles, and sebaceous glands, although their role in normal epidermis was limited. The review concluded that further research was needed to better understand the relationships between bulge stem cells, interfollicular keratinocyte stem cells, and dermal papilla mesenchyme cells, as well as the mechanisms of hair growth.

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