Whisker Follicles Transplanted to the Spine of Nude Mice for Spinal Cord Repair Generate Extensive Ectopic Hair Growth

    October 2016 in “ Journal of dermatological science ”
    Wenluo Cao, Lingna Li, Sumiyuki Mii, Yasuyuki Amoh, Fang Liu, Robert M. Hoffman
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    TLDR Transplanted whisker follicles caused hair growth on the spine of mice.
    In this study, whisker follicles from ND-GFP mice, containing nestin-expressing pluripotent stem cells, were transplanted into the injured spinal cords of nude mice to promote healing. After 90 days, the spinal cord lesions were observed to have healed, with intense ND-GFP expression indicating the involvement of the transplanted stem cells. Unexpectedly, the transplanted whisker follicles generated extensive ectopic hair growth around the spinal cord, demonstrating the potential for hair growth even at non-native sites.
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