AntiCancer Inc., San Diego, California, USA.
J Cell Biochem. 2011 Aug;112(8):2046-50. doi: 10.1002/jcb.23122.
Nestin-expressing pluripotent stem cells have been found both in the bulge area (BA) as well as the dermal papilla (DP). Nestin-expressing stem cells of both the BA and DP have been previously shown to be able to form neurons and other non-follicle cell types. The nestin-expressing stem cells from the DP have been termed skin precursor or SKP cells. Both nestin-expressing DP and BA cells have been previously shown to effect repair of the injured spinal cord and peripheral nerve, with the BA being the greater and more constant source of the stem cells. The BA contains nestin-expressing stem cells throughout the hair cycle, whereas nestin-expressing dermal papillae stem cells were found in early and mid-anagen only. Our previous studies have shown that the nestin-expressing stem cells in the BA and DP have similar morphological features. The cells from both regions have a small body diameter of approximately 7 µm with long extrusions, as shown by 2-photon imaging. In the present study, using 2-photon imaging of whisker follicles from transgenic mice expressing nestin-driven green fluorescent protein (ND-GFP), we demonstrate that the BA is the source of the nestin-expressing stem cells of the hair follicle. The nestin-expressing stem cells migrate from the BA to the DP as well as into the surrounding skin tissues including the epidermis, and during wound healing, suggesting that the BA may be the source of the stem cells of the skin itself.
巢蛋白表达多能干细胞既存在于隆起区域（BA）也存在于真皮乳头（DP）中。BA 和 DP 的巢蛋白表达干细胞以前被证明能够形成神经元和其他非滤泡细胞类型。DP 中的巢蛋白表达干细胞被称为皮肤前体细胞或 SKP 细胞。以前已经证明 DP 和 BA 中的巢蛋白表达干细胞能够修复受损的脊髓和周围神经，BA 是干细胞的更大和更恒定的来源。BA 中的巢蛋白表达干细胞贯穿整个毛发生长周期，而巢蛋白表达的真皮乳头干细胞仅在早期和中期生长期中发现。我们以前的研究表明，BA 和 DP 中的巢蛋白表达干细胞具有相似的形态特征。来自这两个区域的细胞具有约 7 µm 的小体直径和长突起，如双光子成像所示。在本研究中，我们使用表达巢蛋白驱动的绿色荧光蛋白（ND-GFP）的转基因小鼠的须毛囊的双光子成像，证明 BA 是毛囊巢蛋白表达干细胞的来源。巢蛋白表达干细胞从 BA 迁移到 DP 以及周围的皮肤组织，包括表皮，并且在伤口愈合过程中，表明 BA 可能是皮肤自身干细胞的来源。
