Human Dermal Stem Cells Differentiate Into Functional Epidermal Melanocytes

    March 2010 in “ Journal of Cell Science ”
    Ling Li, Mizuho Fukunaga‐Kalabis, Hong Yu, Xiaowei Xu, Jun Kong, John Tayu Lee, Meenhard Herlyn
    TLDR Human dermal stem cells can become functional skin pigment cells.
    The study demonstrated that human dermal stem cells (DSCs) isolated from foreskin could differentiate into functional melanocytes in a 3D skin model. These DSCs exhibited self-renewal capabilities and expressed neural crest stem cell markers but not melanocyte markers initially. Upon differentiation, DSC-derived melanocytes migrated to the epidermis and expressed melanocyte markers like HMB45 and E-cadherin. The findings suggested that DSCs in the dermis could serve as a reservoir for melanocytes, potentially impacting our understanding of pigmentation disorders and offering new avenues for treatment.
    Discuss this study in the Community →

    Cited in this study

    1 / 1 results