November 2023 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study used advanced single-cell RNA and chromatin sequencing to investigate differences in peripheral blood cells between mild and severe alopecia areata patients, uncovering shared transcription factor motifs that may explain disease severity and open avenues for future research on therapeutic targets.
This review synthesizes current advances in transcriptomics and RNA regulatory networks, alongside stem cell-derived skin organoid research, to propose a conceptual framework for understanding and potentially guiding regenerative skin repair, without claiming clinical readiness.
418 citations
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January 2018 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” 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.
July 2026 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Alopecia totalis/universalis involves more intense immune activity and inflammation than patchy alopecia areata.
November 2022 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” This study used single-cell and spatial transcriptomic profiling to identify specific molecular markers in human follicular dermal papilla cells, enhancing understanding of their role in hair follicle development.
1 citations
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August 2023 in “bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)” This study created a detailed spatial atlas of healthy human skin and basal cell carcinoma, revealing a potential hair follicle origin for basal cell carcinoma and expansion of certain mesenchymal cell populations.
April 2023 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” In this study, researchers developed a detailed spatial atlas of healthy human skin and basal cell carcinoma, revealing that basal cell carcinoma likely originates from hair follicles and involves expansion of specific fibroblast subpopulations found in healthy skin.
April 2018 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” This study used single-cell RNA sequencing to identify at least nine subpopulations of keratinocytes in human neonatal epidermis, revealing unexpected heterogeneity and complex differentiation trajectories.
52 citations
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February 2021 in “Genomics Proteomics & Bioinformatics” This review explains methods for studying chromatin variation at the single-cell level using scATAC-seq and discusses integrating these measures with other omics platforms but reports no new results.
July 2025 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology” Alopecia areata involves complex immune cell interactions, especially between CD8+ T cells and macrophages, which could help develop new treatments.
11 citations
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July 2016 in “Current Opinion in Cell Biology” This review discusses stem cell behavior, highlighting their plasticity in tissue repair and the impact of somatic mutations on clonal expansion in early cancer, but reports no new experimental results.
23 citations
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January 2024 in “Nature Immunology” This study, using multimodal profiling in mice, found that various tissues contain unique γδ T cell subsets adapted to their environment, revealing their functional diversity, lineage relationships, and similarities to CD8+ tissue-resident memory T cells.
2 citations
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January 2024 in “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America” This study developed a multiscale spatial atlas of healthy skin and basal cell carcinoma, revealing a hair follicle origin for BCC and the expansion of specific cell populations such as POSTN+ fibroblasts and RGS5+ pericytes, suggesting roles in skin cancer stroma expansion and vascular remodeling.
10 citations
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November 2022 in “Protein & Cell” In this study, topical quercetin was found to stimulate hair follicle growth and promote microvascular regrowth in mice, suggesting its potential for hair regrowth strategies.
37 citations
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January 2022 in “Frontiers in Genetics” This study found that dermal sheath stem cell characteristics are lost with aging in humans, affecting skin rejuvenation and structure, and identified specific proteins like Activin A influencing keratinocyte and fibroblast activity.
1 citations
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January 2024 in “International journal of molecular sciences” This study investigated the molecular mechanisms of hair follicle morphogenesis in Ordos fine-wool sheep, identifying differential genes related to primary and secondary hair follicles, and providing important insights for improving wool quality and breeding strategies.
February 2026 in “Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology” In this single-cell transcriptomic study, researchers analyzed AA scalp samples and found distinct immune and nonimmune cell activation patterns, with elevated TH1/TH2 and JAK/STAT markers potentially contributing to hair follicle immune privilege disruption and disease severity.
10 citations
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July 2022 in “The journal of investigative dermatology/Journal of investigative dermatology” This study revealed that BMP5 in onychofibroblasts may play a key role in the differentiation of nail matrix keratinocytes, highlighting transcriptional similarities between nail and hair structures.
December 2023 in “bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)” This research examined the transcriptional landscape of quiescent melanocyte stem cells (qMcSCs) in adult female mice, revealing significant heterogeneity within this cell population and identifying novel subpopulations that vary in immune privilege regulation, melanocyte differentiation potential, and neural crest potential.
22 citations
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August 2021 in “Frontiers in medicine” This study found that monocytes/macrophages with a pro-inflammatory M1-like phenotype may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of hidradenitis suppurativa, suggesting potential therapeutic targets.
July 2025 in “PNAS Nexus” This study integrated single-cell RNA-seq data from four previous studies to create a comprehensive human corneal cell state meta-atlas, revealing novel marker genes, rare cell states, and distinct transcription factors, and offering a tool to enhance future cornea research.
3 citations
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February 2021 in “bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)” This study found that exposing adult esophageal epithelial cells to skin stroma can induce them to transition toward a hair follicle identity, with HIF1a playing a crucial role in this conversion process.
1 citations
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February 2016 in “Cell Transplantation” In this study, researchers found that hair follicles and dermal fibroblasts, including dermal papilla cells, supported sustained hair growth in transplanted murine models, with RNA-seq analysis revealing active signaling pathways and gene expression patterns.
209 citations
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October 2018 in “Cell Reports” This study found that Lgr5 and Lgr6 stem cells both activated wound-healing genes, but only Lgr5 stem cells changed their identity to contribute to new skin formation during wound repair.
March 2026 in “Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology” This review reports that transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms in epithelial stem cells guide their fate in the epidermis and hair follicles, crucial for skin homeostasis, but disruptions can lead to disease.
This study identified a proliferative intermediate transcriptional state associated with the transition from secondary hair germ cells to lower hair follicle-associated cells during early hair follicle regeneration in mice.
2 citations
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December 2022 in “Scientific Data” This study used single-cell ATAC sequencing to map chromatin accessibility in developing mouse hair follicles, offering insights into the transcriptional regulation and epigenetic mechanisms underlying hair follicle development.
2 citations
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February 2021 in “Developmental Cell” This study reports that aging in human skin involves early photo- and inflammation-related cellular changes, and suggests restoring KLF6 and HES1 expression might reverse some of these age-associated changes.
8 citations
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December 2022 in “BMC Genomics” This study revealed gene expression patterns in yak hair follicles during different growth phases, enhancing the understanding of cell fate specialization and providing insights for yak villus development.
174 citations
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November 2016 in “Cell stem cell” This study found that squamous cell carcinomas from hair follicle stem cells are more prone to epithelial to mesenchymal transition and metastasis than those from interfollicular epidermis, due to distinct chromatin landscapes.