TLDR Targeted therapies promoting differentiation could help treat basal cell carcinoma by exhausting cancer stem cells.
The study investigated the differentiation pattern within basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) by examining hair follicle differentiation-specific keratin expression. The findings provided insights into the differentiation processes in BCCs, which could be leveraged to develop targeted therapies. These therapies aimed to promote differentiation and lead to the exhaustion of BCC cancer stem cells, potentially offering a novel approach to treating this type of skin cancer.
105 citations
,
October 2018 in “Nature” A small group of slow-growing cells causes basal cell carcinoma to return after treatment.
178 citations
,
April 2011 in “Journal of Clinical Investigation” Basal cell carcinomas in mice can start from hair follicle stem cells and other skin cell types, depending on signaling levels.
351 citations
,
February 2010 in “Nature Cell Biology” Basal cell carcinoma mostly starts from cells in the upper skin layers, not hair follicle stem cells.
138 citations
,
March 2007 in “Experimental cell research” Only a few hair-specific keratins are linked to inherited hair disorders.
April 2019 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” A specific mutation in the TRPV3 gene causes hair follicle cells to develop improperly, leading to hair loss.
23 citations
,
February 2004 in “British Journal of Dermatology” Keratin in mouse hair follicles is complex and plays specific roles.
10 citations
,
October 2000 in “PubMed” E6/E7 oncogenes in hair follicles cause continuous hair growth by skipping the resting phase.
94 citations
,
February 1994 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” EGF makes hair follicles grow longer but stops hair production.
135 citations
,
November 1987 in “Differentiation” Outer root sheath cells consistently express certain keratins influenced by their environment.
59 citations
,
August 1981 in “PubMed” Trichilemmal keratinization is a unique process in hair follicles where the outer root sheath turns into keratin without a specific layer.
