Project description:Skin is the largest organ in the body and comprises several types of cells. The intercellular plasticity of keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and skin adipocytes contributes to wound healing and dermal adipogenesis. Although keratinocyte activates dermal adipose tissue (dWAT) differentiation upon hair follicular cycle, regulating dWAT hyperplasia through keratinocyte reprogramming is still unknown. We used the CRISPR/Cas9 base editor to induce single nucleotide polymorphisms in Forkhead-box N1 (Foxn1) and identified the p.L19M variant that induced the formation of a thicker dWAT regardless of hair follicular cycle or wound healing. Foxn1 p.L19M activates Wnt5β through transcriptional activity. Wnt5β signaling induces the conversion of dWAT dermal fibroblasts into adipose precursor cells (APCs) and promotes APC adipocyte differentiation through keratinocyte epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and adipogenic signaling. Wnt5β is involved in the entire process of dWAT hyperplasia through APC supply and adipogenic signaling as a single factor. Foxn1 p.L19M and Wnt5β are expressed in keratinocytes, and a keratinocyte-derived adipogenic signal is critical for dermal adipogenesis. In addition, transient expression of Foxn1 p.L19M or Wnt5β using adeno-associated virus reproduced dermal adipocyte hyperplasia in mice. Considering the increasing importance of dWAT in functions such as the immune response, wound healing, hair follicle growth, and temperature control, this finding has potential applications in skin regeneration
Project description:Global expression analysis of neural crest-like skin-derived precursors (SKPs) and Sox2-positive follicle dermal cells that SKPs originate from. In spite of the remarkable regenerative capacity of mammalian skin, an adult dermal stem cell has not yet been identified. Here, we provide evidence that SKPs, multipotent neural crest-like skin-derived precursors, represent an adult dermal stem cell. When transplanted into adult skin, SKPs can reconstitute the adult dermis, contribute to dermal wound-healing, home to a hair follicle niche, and instruct epidermal cells to make hair follicles. Hair follicle-derived SKPs self-renew, maintain their multipotency, and serially reconstitute hair follicles. The endogenous origin of SKPs are Sox2-positive follicle dermal cells that share a similar global gene expression profile with SKPs. These endogenous cells home back to their follicle niche, induce hair follicle morphogenesis, and differentiate into neural and dermal progeny. Hair follicle-associated dermal cells will move out of their niche to contribute to dermal maintenance and wound-healing. These studies therefore identify a dermal stem cell, and provide a biological rationale for the presence of a multipotent precursor within adult dermis, findings with important therapeutic implications.
Project description:The feather follicle is a “professional” regenerative organ that undergoes natural cycling and, regeneration after wound plucking. Similar to mammalian hair follicle, dermal papilla (DP) controls feather regeneration, shape, size, and axis. Here we report gene expression profiling for feather DP at different growth stages. For growth phase, we compared gene expression of DP, the ramogenic zone of feather branching epithelium (Erz) and the mesenchymal pulp (Pp). We also compared gene expression of DP at resting phase. To characterize the feather regeneration process, we further profiled gene expression at Day-2 and Day-4 post wound. Our results provide a resource for investigating feather growth and regeneration. Examination of gene expression in dermal papilla (DP) at growth phase and resting phase feather follicle, and during feather regeneration.
Project description:Thrombosponin-4 (THBS4) is a non-structural extracellular matrix molecule associated with tissue regeneration and a variety of pathological processes characterized by increased cell proliferation and migration. However, the mechanisms of how THBS4 regulates cell behaviour as well as the pathways contributing to its effects have remained largely unexplored. In the present study we investigated the role of THBS4 in skin regeneration both in vitro and in vivo. We found that THBS4 expression was upregulated in the dermal compartment of healing skin wounds in humans as well as in mice. Application of recombinand THBS4 protein promoted cutaneous wound healing in mice and selectively stimulated migration of primary fibroblasts as well as proliferation of keratinocytes in vitro. By using a combined proteotranstriptomic pathway analysis approach we discovered that beta-catenin acted as a hub for THBS4-dependent cell signaling and likely plays a key role in promoting its downstream effects. Out results suggest that THBS4 is an important contributor to wound healing and its incorporation into novel wound healing therapies may be a promising strategy for treatment of hard-to-heal wounds.
Project description:Here we have developed a novel FACS strategy to prospectively isolate hair follicle dermal stem cells, dermal sheath and dermal papilla cells from adult skin initiating synchronous hair follicle regeneration and identified Hic1 as a marker of hfDSCs and Rspondins as stimulators of hfDSCs and epithelial cells, and subsequently hair follicle regeneration
Project description:The vitamin D receptor (VDR) regulates cell proliferation and differentiation including epidermal keratinocytes by modulating transcription of its target genes. We are investigating the role of VDR in epidermal stem cells and their progenies in the regeneration process of epidermis and hair in the skin. VDR null mice are utilized in which VDR is specifically deleted in keratin 14 (K14) expressing keratinocytes by Cre-lox strategy. The impact of VDR deletion was evaluated by comparison of VDR null mice with no cre littermate control mice. The VDR was abundantly expressed in potential epidermal stem cells including basal cells in interfollicular epidermis (IFE), and in CD34 expressing bulge keratinocytes in hair follicles. Gene expression profiles and subsequent pathway analysis of stem cell enriched keratinocyte populations revealed that the VDR deletion significantly suppressed β-catenin signaling as well as VDR signaling. The role of VDR in epidermal stem cells was studied during hair follicle cycling and wound healing processes. The epidermal stem cells were not appropriately stimulated by hair depilation, and did not reinitiate anagen in the hair follicles resulting in a failure of hair regrowth. In addition, the stem cells were not fully activated after full thickness wounds were generated in VDR null skin under a low calcium diet to suppress compensation pathways. Cell proliferation was not fully induced in potential stem cells located in both IFE and hair follicles near the wounding edges, and re-epithelialization rate was delayed in VDR null skin. Gene expression profiling of the wounded skin (3 days after injury) indicated that β-catenin signaling was not fully induced in VDR null skin comparable to that observed in β-catenin null mice. The β-catenin target genes including Axin2 and cell cycle regulators involved in epidermal stem cell function were not induced in the edges of the wound of VDR null skin. These results demonstrated that VDR plays an essential role in hair cycling and wound healing processes through regulation of β-catenin signaling in epidermal stem cells and their progenies. n=3 CON and KO (each sample contain RNA isolated from wounded or nonwounded skins excised from 3 mice)
Project description:The vitamin D receptor (VDR) regulates cell proliferation and differentiation including epidermal keratinocytes by modulating transcription of its target genes. We are investigating the role of VDR in epidermal stem cells and their progenies in the regeneration process of epidermis and hair in the skin. VDR null mice are utilized in which VDR is specifically deleted in keratin 14 (K14) expressing keratinocytes by Cre-lox strategy. The impact of VDR deletion was evaluated by comparison of VDR null mice with no cre littermate control mice. The VDR was abundantly expressed in potential epidermal stem cells including basal cells in interfollicular epidermis (IFE), and in CD34 expressing bulge keratinocytes in hair follicles. Gene expression profiles and subsequent pathway analysis of stem cell enriched keratinocyte populations revealed that the VDR deletion significantly suppressed β-catenin signaling as well as VDR signaling. The role of VDR in epidermal stem cells was studied during hair follicle cycling and wound healing processes. The epidermal stem cells were not appropriately stimulated by hair depilation, and did not reinitiate anagen in the hair follicles resulting in a failure of hair regrowth. In addition, the stem cells were not fully activated after full thickness wounds were generated in VDR null skin under a low calcium diet to suppress compensation pathways. Cell proliferation was not fully induced in potential stem cells located in both IFE and hair follicles near the wounding edges, and re-epithelialization rate was delayed in VDR null skin. Gene expression profiling of the wounded skin (3 days after injury) indicated that β-catenin signaling was not fully induced in VDR null skin comparable to that observed in β-catenin null mice. The β-catenin target genes including Axin2 and cell cycle regulators involved in epidermal stem cell function were not induced in the edges of the wound of VDR null skin. These results demonstrated that VDR plays an essential role in hair cycling and wound healing processes through regulation of β-catenin signaling in epidermal stem cells and their progenies. n=3 CON and KO (each sample contain RNA isolated from wounded skins excised from 3 mice)
Project description:The vitamin D receptor (VDR) regulates cell proliferation and differentiation including epidermal keratinocytes by modulating transcription of its target genes. We are investigating the role of VDR in epidermal stem cells and their progenies in the regeneration process of epidermis and hair in the skin. VDR null mice are utilized in which VDR is specifically deleted in keratin 14 (K14) expressing keratinocytes by Cre-lox strategy. The impact of VDR deletion was evaluated by comparison of VDR null mice with no cre littermate control mice. The VDR was abundantly expressed in potential epidermal stem cells including basal cells in interfollicular epidermis (IFE), and in CD34 expressing bulge keratinocytes in hair follicles. Gene expression profiles and subsequent pathway analysis of stem cell enriched keratinocyte populations revealed that the VDR deletion significantly suppressed β-catenin signaling as well as VDR signaling. The role of VDR in epidermal stem cells was studied during hair follicle cycling and wound healing processes. The epidermal stem cells were not appropriately stimulated by hair depilation, and did not reinitiate anagen in the hair follicles resulting in a failure of hair regrowth. In addition, the stem cells were not fully activated after full thickness wounds were generated in VDR null skin under a low calcium diet to suppress compensation pathways. Cell proliferation was not fully induced in potential stem cells located in both IFE and hair follicles near the wounding edges, and re-epithelialization rate was delayed in VDR null skin. Gene expression profiling of the wounded skin (3 days after injury) indicated that β-catenin signaling was not fully induced in VDR null skin comparable to that observed in β-catenin null mice. The β-catenin target genes including Axin2 and cell cycle regulators involved in epidermal stem cell function were not induced in the edges of the wound of VDR null skin. These results demonstrated that VDR plays an essential role in hair cycling and wound healing processes through regulation of β-catenin signaling in epidermal stem cells and their progenies. n=3 CON and KO (each sample contain RNA extracted from keratinocytes, which is isolated from VDR KO and littermate control skins excised from 3 mice)
Project description:Mouse hair follicles undergo synchronized cycles. Cyclical regeneration and hair growth is fueled by hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs). HFSCs regenerate hair in response to canonical Wnt signalling. We used RNA-seq to unfold genome-wide chromatin landscapes of β-catenin within the native HFSC-niche.
Project description:Hair follicle formation depends on reciprocal epidermal-dermal interactions and occurs during skin development, but not in adult life. This suggests that the properties of dermal fibroblasts change during postnatal development. To examine this, we used a PdgfraEGFP mouse line to isolate GFP-positive fibroblasts from neonatal skin, adult telogen and anagen skin and adult skin in which ectopic hair follicles had been induced (EF skin) by transgenic epidermal activation of beta-catenin. We also isolated epidermal cells from each mouse. The gene expression profile of EF epidermis was most similar to that of anagen epidermis, consistent with activation of beta-catenin signalling. In contrast, adult dermis with ectopic hair follicles more closely resembled neonatal dermis than adult telogen or anagen dermis. In particular, genes associated with mitosis were upregulated and extracellular matrix-associated genes were downregulated in neonatal and EF fibroblasts. We confirmed that sustained epidermal beta-catenin activation stimulated fibroblasts to proliferate to reach the high cell density of neonatal skin. In addition, the extracellular matrix was comprehensively remodelled, with mature collagen being replaced by collagen subtypes normally present only in developing skin. The changes in proliferation and extracellular matrix composition originated from a specific subpopulation of fibroblasts located beneath the sebaceous gland. Our results show that adult dermis is an unexpectedly plastic tissue that can be reprogrammed to acquire the molecular, cellular and structural characteristics of neonatal dermis in response to cues from the overlying epidermis. We have isolated the following populations of cells from mouse back skin by flow cytometry: 1A) GFP+ WT neonatal dermal fibroblasts, 1B) ItgA6+ WT neonatal epidermal keratinocytes, 2A) GFP+ WT telogen dermal fibroblasts, 2B) ItgA6+ WT telogen epidermal keratinocytes, 3A) GFP+ D2 transient activation (anagen) dermal fibroblasts, 3B) ItgA6+ D2 transient activation (anagen) epidermal keratinocytes, 4A) GFP+ D2 sustained activation (ectopic follicles) dermal fibroblasts, 4B) ItgA6+ D2 sustained activation (ectopic follicles) epidermal keratinocytes