A Stretch-Responsive Fibroblast Program Promotes Epidermal Stem Cell Self-Renewal During Skin Expansion

Fibroblast bioelectric signaling can promote hair growth and may help treat hair loss.

In this study using mice, researchers found that the Piezo1 channel regulates metabolic changes and immune cell infiltration during skin growth under tension, with altered expression of glycolysis-related genes and increased macrophage activity observed in stretched skin.

In this research, the authors identify coordinated mechanical forces as crucial for hair follicle development in mammals, with contractile, proliferative, and proteolytic activities facilitating the formation and sectioning of epithelial structures crucial for forming a functional tissue.

In this study, researchers demonstrated that the expression of the oncogene SmoM2 leads to basal cell carcinoma in the ear epidermis of mice but not in the back skin, with differences in susceptibility linked to the composition of the extracellular matrix.

This study explored the epigenetic mechanisms of dermal fibroblast progenitor differentiation and found that the repressive chromatin profile from H3K27me3 prevents these progenitors from reforming skin in allograft assays, despite their multipotent potential.

In this study, researchers used advanced techniques to map the early embryonic development of mouse skin, identifying diverse cell populations and uncovering complex interactions essential for skin structure, signaling, and function.

This study observed that in aged mouse skin, there was an increase in IL-17-expressing T helper cells, γδ T cells, and innate lymphoid cells, and blocking IL-17 signaling reduced skin inflammation and delayed age-related changes, suggesting it as a potential target to mitigate skin aging.

This review discusses the heterogeneity of dermal fibroblasts in healthy mouse and human skin and reports no clinical results; the authors highlight potential insights into physiological and pathological wound healing.

This review discusses the development, lineages, functions, and roles of fibroblasts in fibrosis across four organs, highlighting their capabilities in tissue repair and contributions to fibrotic disorders when aberrantly activated, but it reports no new experimental findings.

This study found that upper wound fibroblasts are crucial for hair follicle regeneration during wound healing and suggests that these cells, along with papillary fibroblasts, migrate within the wound.

This study found that mechanical skin stretching can stimulate hair stem cell proliferation and hair regeneration by activating a complex pathway involving WNT, BMP-2, and M2 macrophages.

In this study, researchers found that wound healing in mouse skin recruits diverse fibroblasts, including myeloid-derived cells, which contribute to regenerating adipocytes.

This study found that macrophages are crucial for skin regeneration during tissue expansion, as their depletion in rats led to inhibited skin growth and reduced secretion of key growth factors.

This study identified two cell surface markers, FAP and CD90, that distinguish between papillary and reticular fibroblasts in human skin, suggesting distinct functions and distribution in dermal layers.

This study found that in murine dermis, fibroblast state switching between proliferation and ECM deposition plays a crucial role in tissue architecture and wound healing.

This study identified at least four distinct fibroblast populations in adult human skin, each with unique functional properties, suggesting potential therapeutic applications for wound healing and fibrosis-related diseases.

The authors concluded that the dermal response to epidermal Wnt/β-catenin signaling depends on distinct fibroblast lineages, with each responding to different paracrine signals such as Hedgehog and TGF-β.

This study characterizes gene expression patterns in embryonic hair follicle progenitors and their niche, identifying signaling pathways like axon guidance that may drive cellular rearrangements for hair follicle formation.

This study found that skin fibroblasts in mice arise from two distinct lineages which contribute differently to dermal structure and repair, impacting hair follicle formation during wound healing.

This study found that adult mouse dermis can be reprogrammed by epidermal cues to resemble neonatal dermis, with changes in fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix composition.

COL17A1 is crucial for preventing hair graying and loss by supporting hair and pigment stem cells.