The Location and Proliferation of Human Hair Follicle Stem Cells

The study investigated the location and proliferation of human hair follicle stem cells, identifying two distinct stem cell reservoirs in the hair follicles: one in the bulge area and another in the outer root sheath above the hair bulb. The research found that stem cell proliferation occurred only when the follicle epithelium was co-cultured with mesenchymal cells, specifically dermal papilla cells. The study concluded that mesenchymes are essential for stem cell proliferation, and the resulting colonies contained juvenile cells, mature keratinocytes, and apoptotic cells, indicating different stages of stem cell development.