Induction of Skin-Derived Precursor Cells from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

In the 2016 study, researchers successfully developed a protocol to generate skin-derived precursor cells (SKPs) from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). By culturing hiPSCs with noggin and SB431542, they induced neural crest progenitor cells, which were then treated with a WNT signal activator, CHIR99021, to produce SKPs with an induction efficacy of over 97%. These hiPSC-derived SKPs shared a gene expression profile with SKPs from human skin dermis and were capable of differentiating into various cell types, including adipocytes, skeletogenic cells, and Schwann cells. Furthermore, when co-cultured with human epidermal keratinocytes, the hiPSC-SKPs could induce follicular type keratinization. This method holds potential for advancing treatments for skin disorders and conditions such as androgenic alopecia. The study's findings are significant as they offer a highly efficient way to create human skin dermal stem cells from hiPSCs, which could be beneficial for skin dermal regeneration in clinical settings.