Reporting Live from the Epidermal Stem Cell Compartment
August 2012
in “
Cell Stem Cell
”
epidermal stem cells hair follicle regeneration hair follicle stem cells resting phase hair follicle growth upper bulge lower bulge hair germ dermal papilla two-photon microscopy stem cell behavior microenvironment tissue regeneration lineage tracing analysis stem cells hair growth hair regeneration microscopy cell behavior tissue growth
TLDR The study showed that some hair follicle stem cells wake up to grow hair while others stay asleep, and that the environment around them is important for hair growth.
The document discusses a study by Rompolas et al. (2012) that used two-photon live imaging to investigate the behavior of epidermal stem cells during hair follicle regeneration. The study found that hair follicle stem cells are dormant during the resting phase and that upon initiation of hair follicle growth, cells in the upper bulge remain dormant while cells in the lower bulge begin to cycle. The hair germ (stem cell progeny) expands and undergoes multiple divisions along the hair follicle axis. The study also demonstrated the importance of the dermal papilla in hair growth, as ablation of this compartment using two-photon microscopy halted hair follicle growth. The findings underscore the potential of live imaging to provide insights into stem cell behavior and the importance of the microenvironment in tissue regeneration. However, the document also notes limitations such as the short duration of single-cell behavior studies and the need for further development of methods to extend observation times or combine with lineage tracing analysis. The study by Rompolas et al. contributes to the understanding of stem cell dynamics in hair follicle regeneration and the potential of two-photon microscopy as a tool in stem cell research.
