Isolation of Human Progenitor Epidermal Cells on Collagen Type IV and Analysis of Their Markers with Flow Cytometry and PCR Methods.

Epidermal stem cells, located in the skin, together with keratinocytes are transplanted in regenerative therapies, e.g., for the treatment of burns or other wounds. Here, we describe the protocol of their enzymatic isolation from human skin. It includes separation of the epidermis form the dermis by incubation with dispase followed by cell isolation for epidermis by digestion with trypsin. Cell isolated with this method can be seeded on collagen IV-coated dishes. The methods of analysis of epidermal stem cells markers (e.g., CD71, CD29) with flow cytometry and RT-PCR are also included.