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Aim: The differentiation of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) into hair follicle cells has potential clinical applications for cutaneous burns. However, the mechanisms regulating the differentiation of HFSCs into hair follicular papilla or epidermal cells are currently not clear. This study investigated the role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and its crosstalk with other signaling components during this differentiation process. Methods: Lithium chloride (LiCl, 10 mmol/L) and keratinocyte growth factor (KGF, 10 µg/L) were used to induce HFSC differentiation, validated by immunofluorescence analysis. The mRNA expression of β-catenin, adenomatous polyposis coli, glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), axin, and lymphoid enhancer factor-1 after 3, 5, 7, and 9 days were measured to evaluate the role of the Wnt/βcatenin pathway. Results: During LiCl-induced HFSC differentiation into hair follicle cells, the Wnt/ β-catenin signaling pathway was activated and the expression of GSK-3β, a vital component of the degradation compound, was inhibited. This led to increased cytoplasmic β-catenin expression, nuclear translocation, and subsequent target gene transcription. By contrast, KGF induced the differentiation of HFSCs into epidermal cells and did not affect the expression of β-catenin. This data indicates that LiCl and KGF distinctly regulate the differentiation of HFSCs into hair follicle and epidermal cells, respectively. Furthermore, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is predominantly involved in hair follicle differentiation. Conclusion: these results demonstrate that LiCl can be used to differentiate HFSCs into hair follicle cells in vitro, which has important therapeutic applications for treating patients with cutaneous damage.

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Knowledge of vegetation dynamics is important for the sustainability of natural resources and understanding the changes in ecosystems and its impact to earth’s environment. We have carried out analysis of GIMMS (Global inventory modelling and mapping studies) NDVI3g (third generation normalized difference vegetation data for the period 1982-2015. Based on the Linear Regression (LR) analysis, the Mann-Kendall (MK) test with Sen’s slope estimator and Kriging interpolation method, we have investigated the spatiotemporal variations of vegetation NDVI in the Yangtze River Basin (YRB). The results show pronounced increase in the annual mean NDVI at the rate of 0.01/10yr during 1982-2015, with significant turning point (TP) around 1994. The spatial distribution of the annual mean NDVI reasonably increased in the northern, eastern and south-western YRB, while decreased in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and parts of the southern YRB during 1982-2015. Pronounced change in NDVI trend is found in different seasons, for example, the increasing trend during spring (0.02/10yr) and in autumn (0.02/10yr) was higher compared to winter (0.006/10yr) and summer (0.002/10yr) seasons.