Lymphatic Vessels Interact Dynamically with the Hair Follicle Stem Cell Niche During Skin Regeneration In Vivo

In the 2019 study by Daniel Peña-Jimenez et al., researchers explored the relationship between lymphatic vessels (LVs) and hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) niches in mice during skin regeneration. They found that LVs are closely associated with the HF bulge and interconnect neighboring follicles, with their distribution and expansion being dependent on HFSC activity. LVs transiently expand in response to HFSC activation, which is associated with gene expression changes related to LV reorganization. The ablation of LVs resulted in inhibited hair follicle growth, suggesting that LVs are crucial for HF development and cycling. The study concluded that LVs are integral components of the HFSC niche, contributing to skin regeneration and coordinating tissue-level connections. The number of mice used in specific experiments was mentioned as n = 3 or n = 3-4, indicating the sample size for those particular analyses.