Regenerating the skin: a task for the heterogeneous stem cell pool and surrounding niche
September 2013
in “Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology”
TLDR Different types of stem cells and their environments are key to skin repair and maintenance.
The document from 2013 provides a comprehensive review of the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in skin self-renewal, with a particular focus on the various stem cell populations within the skin and their roles in maintaining homeostasis and repairing damage. It explains that the epidermis relies on stem cells for its high turnover rate, while hair follicles contain stem cells in the bulge area that regenerate the follicle but do not contribute to the interfollicular epidermis unless it is damaged. The review also discusses the role of circadian rhythms in stem cell proliferation and differentiation, the effects of aging on epidermal stem cells, and the importance of the WNT signaling pathway. It highlights the heterogeneity of stem cells within the hair follicle and the complex interplay between stem cells and their niches, including the influence of the dermal papilla size on hair follicle cycling and the potential multipotency of sweat gland progenitors. The document concludes that understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling hair follicle stem cells is crucial for developing therapeutic approaches for hair loss and skin disorders.
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