AntiCancer Inc., San Diego, CA, USA.
J Cell Biochem. 2013 Jul;114(7):1674-84. doi: 10.1002/jcb.24509.
We have previously reported that nestin-expressing hair follicle stem cells can differentiate into neurons, Schwann cells, and other cell types. In the present study, vibrissa hair follicles, including their sensory nerve stump, were excised from transgenic mice in which the nestin promoter drives green fluorescent protein (ND-GFP mice), and were placed in 3D histoculture supported by Gelfoam®. β-III tubulin-positive fibers, consisting of ND-GFP-expressing cells, extended up to 500 µm from the whisker nerve stump in histoculture. The growing fibers had growth cones on their tips expressing F-actin. These findings indicate that β-III tubulin-positive fibers elongating from the whisker follicle sensory nerve stump were growing axons. The growing whisker sensory nerve was highly enriched in ND-GFP cells which appeared to play a major role in its elongation and interaction with other nerves in 3D culture, including the sciatic nerve, the trigeminal nerve, and the trigeminal nerve ganglion. The results of the present report suggest a major function of the nestin-expressing stem cells in the hair follicle is for growth of the follicle sensory nerve.
我们之前曾报道过巢蛋白表达的毛囊干细胞可分化为神经元、施万细胞和其他细胞类型。在本研究中，从 nestin 启动子驱动绿色荧光蛋白表达的转基因小鼠（ND-GFP 小鼠）中切取包含感觉神经残端的触须毛囊，并将其置于 Gelfoam®支持的 3D 组织培养物中。β-III 微管蛋白阳性纤维由表达 ND-GFP 的细胞组成，在组织培养物中从胡须神经残端延伸长达 500 µm。生长中的纤维在其尖端具有表达 F-肌动蛋白的生长锥。这些发现表明，从触须毛囊感觉神经残端伸长的β-III 微管蛋白阳性纤维是生长轴突。生长中的触须感觉神经富含 ND-GFP 细胞，这些细胞似乎在其伸长和与 3D 培养中的其他神经（包括坐骨神经、三叉神经和三叉神经节）相互作用中发挥主要作用。本报告的结果表明，毛囊中巢蛋白表达的干细胞的主要功能是促进毛囊感觉神经的生长。
