Project description:Mouse back skin was disassociated to single cells, sorted by cell surface markers and tested by microarrray To compare the gene expression of mouse bulge (CD34+CD200+CD49+) versus secondary hair germ (CD34-CD200+CD49+) versus interfollicular epidermis (CD34-CD200-CD49+) xx Bald scalp retains hair follicle stem cells but lacks CD200-rich and CD34-positive hair follicle progenitor cells Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) or common baldness results from a marked decrease in hair follicle size. This miniaturization may be related to loss of hair follicle stem or progenitor cells. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed bald and non-bald scalp from the same individuals for the presence of hair follicle stem and progenitor cells using flow cytometry to quantitate cells expressing CYTOKERATIN 15 (KRT15), CD200, CD34 and ALPHA-6-INTEGRIN (ITGA6). High levels of KRT15 expression correlated with stem cell properties of small cell size and quiescence. Cells with the highest level of KRT15 expression were maintained in bald scalp; however, distinct populations of CD200high ITGA6high cells and CD34-positive cells were markedly diminished. Consistent with a progenitor cell phenotype, the diminished populations localized closely to the stem-cell rich bulge area but were larger and more proliferative than the bulge stem cells. In functional assays, analogous CD200 high /Itga6 high cells from murine hair follicles were multipotent and generated new hair follicles in skin reconstitution assays. These findings suggest that a defect in stem cell activation plays a role in the pathogenesis of AGA. 4 independent biologic replicates (each pooled from 3 distinct mice) were sorted for Mouse bulge (CD34+CD200+CD49+) versus secondary hair germ (CD34-CD200+CD49+) versus interfollicular epidermis (CD34-CD200-CD49+)
Project description:Mouse back skin was disassociated to single cells, sorted by cell surface markers and tested by microarrray To compare the gene expression of mouse bulge (CD34+CD200+CD49+) versus secondary hair germ (CD34-CD200+CD49+) versus interfollicular epidermis (CD34-CD200-CD49+) xx Bald scalp retains hair follicle stem cells but lacks CD200-rich and CD34-positive hair follicle progenitor cells Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) or common baldness results from a marked decrease in hair follicle size. This miniaturization may be related to loss of hair follicle stem or progenitor cells. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed bald and non-bald scalp from the same individuals for the presence of hair follicle stem and progenitor cells using flow cytometry to quantitate cells expressing CYTOKERATIN 15 (KRT15), CD200, CD34 and ALPHA-6-INTEGRIN (ITGA6). High levels of KRT15 expression correlated with stem cell properties of small cell size and quiescence. Cells with the highest level of KRT15 expression were maintained in bald scalp; however, distinct populations of CD200high ITGA6high cells and CD34-positive cells were markedly diminished. Consistent with a progenitor cell phenotype, the diminished populations localized closely to the stem-cell rich bulge area but were larger and more proliferative than the bulge stem cells. In functional assays, analogous CD200 high /Itga6 high cells from murine hair follicles were multipotent and generated new hair follicles in skin reconstitution assays. These findings suggest that a defect in stem cell activation plays a role in the pathogenesis of AGA.
Project description:Human hair follicles from normal areas of the scalp were disassociated to single cells, sorted and tested by microarrray To compare the expression of human CD200+ CD49+ hair follicle keratinocytes versus CD200-CD49+ keratinocytes
Project description:Mammalian epidermis consists of three self-renewing compartments: the hair follicle, sebaceous gland and interfollicular epidermis. We generated knock-in alleles of murine Lgr6, a close relative to the Lgr5 stem cell gene. Lgr6 was expressed in the earliest embryonic hair placodes. In adult hair follicles, Lgr6+ cells resided in a previously uncharacterized region directly above the follicle bulge. They expressed none of the known bulge stem cell markers. Prenatal Lgr6+ cells established the hair follicle, sebaceous gland and interfollicular epidermis. Postnatally, Lgr6+ cells generated sebaceous gland and interfollicular epidermis, while contribution to hair lineages gradually diminished with age. Adult Lgr6+ cells executed long-term wound repair, including the formation of new hair follicles. We conclude that Lgr6 marks the most primitive epidermal stem cell.
Project description:Epidermal keratinocytes were isolated from adult murine skin and FACS sorted into three populations based on their surface maker expression of alpha 6 integrin, CD34 and Sca-1. <br>- Alpha 6 positive cells constitute the entire population of basal or proliferative keratinocytes from the interfollicular epidermis and hair follicle. Both BIB and Bulge cells are contained within the total population of alpha 6 positive cells. <br>- BIB cells reside in the hair follicle in a region between the infundibulum and bulge and these cells are characterized by low alpha 6 integrin surface levels and are negative for CD34 and Sca-1 surface proteins. <br>- Bulge cells are derived from the bulge region of the hair follicle and are characterized by low + high alpha 6 integrin surface levels and are positive for CD34 but negative for Sca-1.
Project description:Mammalian epidermis consists of three self-renewing compartments: the hair follicle, sebaceous gland and interfollicular epidermis. We generated knock-in alleles of murine Lgr6, a close relative to the Lgr5 stem cell gene. Lgr6 was expressed in the earliest embryonic hair placodes. In adult hair follicles, Lgr6+ cells resided in a previously uncharacterized region directly above the follicle bulge. They expressed none of the known bulge stem cell markers. Prenatal Lgr6+ cells established the hair follicle, sebaceous gland and interfollicular epidermis. Postnatally, Lgr6+ cells generated sebaceous gland and interfollicular epidermis, while contribution to hair lineages gradually diminished with age. Adult Lgr6+ cells executed long-term wound repair, including the formation of new hair follicles. We conclude that Lgr6 marks the most primitive epidermal stem cell. For the Lgr5 and Lgr6 stem cell comparison RNA was isolated from sorted GFPhi cell fractions of dorsal skin from Lgr5-EGFP-ires-CreERT2 mice and Lgr6-EGFP-ires-CreERT2, respectively (3 mice per group per sort).
Project description:To assess if Hedgehog (Hh) responding cells in the skin have a unique expression profile, isolated keratinocytes that express the Hh response gene Gli1 were collected by FACS and their gene expression was compared to sorted CD34-expressing cells from the middle bulge region of the hair follicle and to cells from the interfollicular epidermis (IFE) by hybridization of isolated RNA to gene expression microarrays.
Project description:Transcriptional profile of murine touch dome keratinocytes sorted on the basis of alpha6-integrin, CD34, Sca1 and CD200 surface markers. Compared to the transcriptional profile of murine interfollicular epidermis (IFE) without the touch dome keratinocytes
Project description:The human hair follicle bulge is an important niche for keratinocyte stem cells (KSCs). Elucidation of human bulge cell biology could be facilitated by analysis of global gene expression profiles and identification of unique cell-surface markers. The lack of distinctive bulge morphology in human hair follicles has hampered studies of bulge cells and KSCs. In this study, we determined the distribution of label-retaining cells to define the human anagen bulge. Using navigated laser capture microdissection, bulge cells and outer root sheath cells from other follicle regions were obtained and analyzed with cDNA microarrays. Gene transcripts encoding inhibitors of WNT and activin/bone morphogenic protein signaling were overrepresented in the bulge, while genes responsible for cell proliferation were underrepresented, consistent with the existence of quiescent noncycling KSCs in anagen follicles. Positive markers for bulge cells included CD200, PHLDA1, follistatin, and frizzled homolog 1, while CD24, CD34, CD71, and CD146 were preferentially expressed by non-bulge keratinocytes. Importantly, CD200+ cells (CD200hiCD24loCD34loCD71loCD146lo) obtained from hair follicle suspensions demonstrated high colony-forming efficiency in clonogenic assays, indicating successful enrichment of living human bulge stem cells. The stem cell behavior of enriched bulge cells and their utility for gene therapy and hair regeneration will need to be assessed in in vivo assays.