Hair-Follicle Associated Pluripotent Stem Cells Differentiate to Beating Cardiac Tissue Sheets

The study demonstrated that hair-follicle-associated pluripotent (HAP) stem cells, located in the bulge area of mouse hair follicles, could be differentiated into cardiac muscle cells using a specific culture protocol. The researchers cultured the upper part of mouse vibrissa hair follicles in a medium supplemented with various growth factors over 16 days, resulting in a significant increase in cardiac muscle cells and the formation of beating cardiac tissue sheets. This finding highlighted the potential of HAP stem cells to differentiate into heart muscle cells, expanding their previously known ability to differentiate into neurons, Schwann cells, and other cell types.