Human hair follicle dermal sheath and papilla cells support keratinocyte growth in monolayer coculture

Abstract

Additional Supporting Information may be found in the online version of this article: Figure S1. Sequence comparison between Foxq1+/+ (top) and Foxq1 <sa-J> (bottom) genes. Note the C to T transition at nucleotide 490 between the control (top) and mutant (bottom) alleles. Abstract: Traditional skin grafting techniques are effective but limited methods of skin replacement. Autologous transplantation of rapidly cultured keratinocytes is successful for epidermal regeneration, but the current gold-standard technique requires mouse fibroblast feeders and serum-rich media, with serum-free systems and dermal fibroblast (DF) feeders performing relatively poorly. Here, we investigated the capacity of human hair follicle dermal cells to act as alternative supports for keratinocyte growth. Dermal papilla (DP) dermal sheath (DS), DF and 3T3 cells were used as inactivated feeder cells for human keratinocyte coculture. Under conditions favouring dermal cells, proliferation of keratinocytes in the presence of either DS or DP cells was significantly enhanced compared with DF cells, at levels comparable to keratinocytes cultured under gold-standard conditions. Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) expression increased DS and DP cells relative to DFs; however, further experiments did not demonstrate a role in keratinocyte support.

Hair follicle units promote re-epithelialization in chronic cutaneous wounds: A clinical case series study

“…Bulge stem cells produce transiently amplifying epidermal progeny, while non-hair follicle-fated isthmus stem cells generate long-lasting populations in the wound epidermis (19,20). Clinical and experimental data indicate that the involvement of follicle-derived dermal cells results in qualitatively improved dermal repair (18,21). Consistent with previous studies, the observations of the present study support the hypothesis that hair follicles perform an important function in the repair of cutaneous wounds (22,23).…”

“…Recent advances in epithelial stem cell biology have improved the understanding of the role of hair follicles in wound healing mechanisms, and have provided a basis for the development of novel therapies (18). Various follicular cells contribute to wound healing through different methods.…”

Multifaceted role of hair follicle dermal cells in bioengineered skins

“…We recently demonstrated that human hair follicle dermal cells act as a superior support for human keratinocytes in monolayer cultures, compared with human fibroblasts or irradiated 3T3 cells . Additionally, hair follicle dermal papilla cells incorporated into a dermal matrix are capable of promoting contraction in skin wounds in nude mice .…”

Hair-follicle dermal papilla and sheath fibroblasts provide a supportive microenvironment for human skin regeneration

“…The team of Hill and colleagues previously reported that hair follicle‐associated mesenchymal cells, specifically the hair‐inductive dermal papilla fibroblasts and dermal sheath fibroblasts, promote greater keratinocyte colony‐forming efficiency than dermal fibroblasts in 2D culture . In the current study, this group advances this knowledge further, demonstrating that dermal papilla and dermal sheath fibroblasts – normally associated with hair follicle regeneration – can also support interfollicular skin regeneration in organotypic cultures.…”