Rat Hair Follicle-Constituting Cells Labeled by a Newly Developed Somatic Stem Cell-Recognizing Antibody: A Possible Marker of Hair Follicle Development.
February 2013
in “
PubMed
”
TLDR A3 antibody helps identify key cells in rat hair follicle development.
The study developed an antibody, A3, to recognize somatic stem cells in rat tissues and investigated its distribution in developing rat hair follicles. A3-positive cells were identified in the hair germ and peg of fetuses and neonates, and in the outer root sheath of mature hair follicles. These cells were epithelial and mesenchymal in nature, with the potential to differentiate into highly-differentiated cells, but did not show proliferating activity. The findings suggested that A3-positive cells might be quiescent post-progenitor cells, and A3 could serve as a useful marker for studying the development of hair follicle-constituting cells.