Dermal Stem Cells Can Differentiate Down an Endothelial Lineage

Abstract

In this study, we have demonstrated that cells of neural crest origin located in the dermal papilla (DP) exhibit endothelial marker expression and a functional activity. When grown in endothelial growth media, DP primary cultures upregulate expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (FLT1) mRNA and downregulate expression of the dermal stem cell marker a-smooth muscle actin. DP cells have demonstrated functional characteristics of endothelial cells, including the ability to form capillary-like structures on Matrigel, increase uptake of low-density lipoprotein and upregulate ICAM1 (CD54) in response to tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) stimulation. We confirmed that these observations were not due to contaminating endothelial cells, by using DP clones. We have also used the WNT1cre/ROSA26R and WNT1cre/YFP lineage-tracing mouse models to identify a population of neural crest-derived cells in DP cultures that express the endothelial marker PECAM (CD31); these cells also form capillary-like structures on Matrigel. Importantly, cells of neural crest origin that express markers of endothelial and mesenchymal lineages exist within the dermal sheath of the vibrissae follicle.

Contribution of GFP Expressing Dermal Papillae Cells to the Formation of Chimeric Embryos and their Survival in Uterine Environment

“…Data suggest that the majority of DP cells in primary cultures have the ability to function as endothelial cells when exposed to angiogenic signals in vitro [12][13][14]. The identification of dermal papillae cells' properties is previously clearly documented in vivo and in vitro, confirmed in situ and detected by transmission electronic microscopy [15,16].…”

Generation of Human Epidermis-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell-like Pluripotent Cells (hEMSCPCs)

“…Current studies suggest that ASCs can transdifferentiate into other tissue-specific cells383940. Epithelial cells can also transdifferentiate into cells similar to mesenchymal stem cells in an appropriate microenvironment414243.…”

Hair curvature: a natural dialectic and review

“…It is therefore now thought that Wnt/PCP signalling induces cellular orientation and that FGF signalling (through MAPK pathways) regulates proliferation rates. It is relevant that neural crest (NC) cells, from which at least some DP cells are derived (Rutberg et al , ; Bell et al , ; section V.3), migrate collectively as mesenchyme (Theveneau & Mayor, ). As in the case of bone elongation, Wnt5 signalling serves to orient the cells, but several types of migration, with varying amounts of adhesion and collective behaviours are also described (Taneyhill, ).…”

“…The development of the PA muscle evidently represents a case of EMT‐I in the HF. It develops from bulge basement membranes, via Wnt/β‐catenin‐activated nephronexin/α8‐integrin signalling, into the permanent myoepithelial PA muscular structure, expressing ASMA both as a myoepithelial stem‐cell marker and a functional protein (Rutberg et al , ; Fujiwara et al , ; Bell et al , ).…”

“…All the above cell types are known to be derived from NCSC (Taneyhill, ; Krejčí & Grim, ; Theveneau & Mayor, ; Bell et al , ). Moreover, epithelial stem cells in HFs may belong to this lineage (see below), and even if not, their ectodermal origins would make them close relatives to NCSCs.…”