Single-Cell RNA Sequencing of Different Fibroblast Populations Cultured from Female Scalp Reveals Significant Alterations to Transcriptional Profiles with Age
Studysummary This study identified distinct and diverse fibroblast populations in female scalp cells that lose their signature and identity with age, highlighting significant age-related changes, such as increased fibrosis, DNA damage, and senescence, which may affect scalp dermal support for healthy hair follicles.
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This study utilized single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze age-related transcriptional changes in dermal fibroblasts (DF), dermal sheath (DS), and dermal papilla (DP) cells from the scalps of 18 female donors aged 20-77 years. A total of 51,774 cells were sequenced, revealing 19 distinct transcriptional clusters. The findings indicated significant age-related alterations, with older donors showing increased fibrosis-related gene sets in DFs, loss of contractile markers in DS cells, and elevated DNA damage and senescence in DP cells. These changes suggest that aging affects the scalp's ability to support healthy hair follicles, contributing to age-related scalp and hair changes in females.
