Establishment of a Culture Model for the Prolonged Maintenance of Chicken Feather Follicles Structure In Vitro

October 2022 in “ PloS one ”

Corentin Mallet, Laurent Souci, Mireille Ledevin, Sonia Georgeault, Thibaut Larcher, Caroline Denesvre

feather follicles in vitro scaffoldin fibronectin NCAM LCAM Wnt6 Notch1 BMP4 Shh HBS1 DKK3 KRT14

TLDR Scientists have developed a method to keep chicken feather follicles alive and structurally intact in a lab for up to a week.

Using protocols adapted from those developed for human hair follicles, researchers have successfully cultured juvenile chicken feather follicles (FF) in vitro for up to 7 days, preserving their structure and morphology. Histological analysis and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the integrity of the FF wall epithelium. Although a slight elongation of feathers was observed in 75% of the samples up to day 5, the expression and localization of structural proteins scaffoldin and fibronectin were maintained. Gene expression analysis revealed no changes in NCAM, LCAM, Wnt6, Notch1, and BMP4, but there were decreases in Shh and HBS1 expression, an increase in DKK3, and a transient increase in KRT14, suggesting some transcriptional modifications due to cultivation. This study presents the first method for culturing chicken FF in vitro that closely resembles the in vivo state, offering a model for studying feather interactions with pathogens or toxins and potentially reducing the need for animal experimentation.

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