Differential Molecular Signature of Dermal Papilla Cells from Balding and Non-Balding Scalp in 2D, 3D Culture and Co-Culture with Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

The study compared gene expression in Dermal Papilla Cells (DPCs) from balding and non-balding scalps in different culture conditions: 2D, 3D, and co-culture with Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs). It was found that 3D culture and co-culture with ASCs significantly increased the expression of hair inductivity markers like WNT5A and FGF7 compared to 2D culture. Co-culture with ASCs also resulted in a greater increase in WNT5A expression than 3D culture alone and a strong downregulation of DKK1, an inhibitor of the Wnt signaling pathway. Some genes that were upregulated in intact DPCs were only replicated in the co-culture with ASCs, not in 3D culture. The conclusion was that DPC spheroids and co-culture with ASCs more closely mimic the hair inductive properties of intact DPCs than 2D cultured DPCs.