Distinct Mechanisms for Sebaceous Gland Self-Renewal and Regeneration Provide Durability in Response to Injury

September 2023 in “ Cell Reports ”

Natalia A. Veniaminova, Yunlong Jia, Adrien M. Hartigan, Thomas J. Huyge, Shih-Ying Tsai, Marina Grachtchouk, Seitaro Nakagawa, Andrzej A. Dlugosz, Scott X. Atwood, Sunny Y. Wong

sebaceous glands stem cells sebocytes hair follicles hair follicle bulge stem cells FGFR2 signaling

Studysummary This study reports that sebaceous glands can regenerate after injury through stem cell plasticity, with hair-follicle-derived stem cells replacing sebaceous gland progenitors and playing a crucial role in the regeneration process, which is dependent on FGFR2 signaling and aided by hair growth induction.

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This study examines the mechanisms of sebaceous gland (SG) self-renewal and regeneration, emphasizing the roles of resident stem cells and hair follicle-derived stem cells. Under normal conditions, SGs are maintained by dedicated stem cell pools, with differentiation pathways identified through single-cell RNA sequencing. Upon injury, SG progenitors migrate to heal wounds and are replaced by hair-follicle-derived stem cells, a process dependent on FGFR2 signaling and accelerated by hair growth. The study highlights the plasticity of stem cells in maintaining SG durability after injury and identifies distinct cell states and gene expression patterns during sebocyte differentiation. Despite technical challenges, the research provides insights into the cellular dynamics and molecular pathways involved in SG regeneration, noting the influence of hair growth cycles and FGFR2 signaling.

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