Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Hair Follicle Keratinocytes as a Potential Source for In Vitro Hair Follicle Cloning
November 2016
induced pluripotent stem cells iPSCs hair follicle keratinocytes pluripotency markers TRA-1-60 TRA-1-81 SSEA4 OCT4 SOX2 NANOG LEFTY GABRB three germ layers keratinocytes cytokeratin 14 hair cloning hair loss genetic factors micro-environmental factors hair follicle redifferentiation stem cells hair follicle cells
TLDR Human hair follicle cells can be turned into stem cells that may help clone hair for treating hair loss or burns.
In the study from 2016, researchers explored the potential of using human hair follicle keratinocytes to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which could then be differentiated into keratinocytes in vitro. The iPSCs created from these hair follicle cells were confirmed to express key pluripotency markers, including TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, SSEA4, OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, LEFTY, and GABRB. Additionally, the iPSCs successfully formed the three germ layers during differentiation, and the formation of keratinocytes was verified by the expression of the cytokeratin 14 marker. The study concluded that hair follicles are a promising source of keratinocytes for in vitro hair cloning, which could potentially be used for treating hair loss or for grafting in burn patients. The findings suggest that the genetic and micro-environmental factors within hair follicles may enhance the efficiency of hair follicle redifferentiation.
