Characterization and Isolation of Stem Cell-Enriched Human Hair Follicle Bulge Cells
January 2007
in “
The Year book of dermatology
”
TLDR Researchers successfully isolated and identified key stem cells in human hair follicles, which could help develop new skin and hair treatments.
The study "Characterization and isolation of stem cell–enriched human hair follicle bulge cells" focused on identifying and isolating keratinocyte stem cells (KSCs) from the human hair follicle bulge, a key niche for these cells. Researchers used navigated laser capture microdissection and cDNA microarrays to analyze gene expression profiles, finding that genes inhibiting WNT and activin/bone morphogenic protein signaling were overrepresented in the bulge, while proliferation-related genes were underrepresented. They identified positive markers for bulge cells, including CD200, PHLDA1, follistatin, and frizzled homolog 1. CD200+ cells demonstrated high colony-forming efficiency, indicating successful enrichment of living human bulge stem cells. This work provided valuable insights into hair follicle biology and suggested potential for developing new therapies for skin and hair disorders.
