Light-Emitting Hair Follicles: Studying Skin Regeneration With In Vivo Imaging

May 2014 in “ Journal of Investigative Dermatology ”

Christian F. Guerrero-Juarez, Raul Ramos, Ji Won Oh, Tsai-Ching Hsi, Maksim V. Plikus

hair regeneration hair follicle stem cell compartment oxidative stress pH Flash transgenic mice luciferase reporter bioluminescence intradermal drug delivery optogenetics light-inducible gene expression systems stem cells skin pH bioluminescent imaging gene expression

Studysummary This article reviews recent imaging and genetic tool advances that enable in vivo study of hair regeneration and assessment of skin parameters, but it reports no new clinical results. Our plain-language summary of this paper — not a Tressless recommendation.

In 2014, researchers developed advanced imaging technologies and luminescent genetic tools to study hair regeneration in real time, at both microscopic and macroscopic levels. These tools also allowed for noninvasive assessment of skin's homeostatic parameters like oxidative stress levels and pH. The hair follicle, with its distinct growth cycle and large stem cell compartment, was used as a model in regeneration research. The study used "Flash" transgenic mice, which express a luciferase reporter, for high-resolution time-lapse recordings of bioluminescence of mouse skin, especially useful in experiments examining intradermal drug delivery. The potential of optogenetics, light-inducible gene expression systems, in skin research was also discussed.

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