Wnt-dependent de novo hair follicle regeneration in adult mouse skin after wounding

The mammalian hair follicle is a complex 'mini-organ' thought to form only during development; loss of an adult follicle is considered permanent. However, the possibility that hair follicles develop de novo following wounding was raised in studies on rabbits, mice and even humans fifty years ago. Subsequently, these observations were generally discounted because definitive evidence for follicular neogenesis was not presented. Here we show that, after wounding, hair follicles form de novo in genetically normal adult mice. The regenerated hair follicles establish a stem cell population, express known molecular markers of follicle differentiation, produce a hair shaft and progress through all stages of the hair follicle cycle. Lineage analysis demonstrated that the nascent follicles arise from epithelial cells outside of the hair follicle stem cell niche, suggesting that epidermal cells in the wound assume a hair follicle stem cell phenotype. Inhibition of Wnt signalling after re-epithelialization completely abrogates this wounding-induced folliculogenesis, whereas overexpression of Wnt ligand in the epidermis increases the number of regenerated hair follicles. These remarkable regenerative capabilities of the adult support the notion that wounding induces an embryonic phenotype in skin, and that this provides a window for manipulation of hair follicle neogenesis by Wnt proteins. These findings suggest treatments for wounds, hair loss and other degenerative skin disorders.     

Live imaging of stem cell and progeny behaviour in physiological hair-follicle regeneration

Tissue development and regeneration depend on cell-cell interactions and signals that target stem cells and their immediate progeny. However, the cellular behaviours that lead to a properly regenerated tissue are not well understood. Using a new, non-invasive, intravital two-photon imaging approach we study physiological hair-follicle regeneration over time in live mice. By these means we have monitored the behaviour of epithelial stem cells and their progeny during physiological hair regeneration and addressed how the mesenchyme influences their behaviour. Consistent with earlier studies, stem cells are quiescent during the initial stages of hair regeneration, whereas the progeny are more actively dividing. Moreover, stem cell progeny divisions are spatially organized within follicles. In addition to cell divisions, coordinated cell movements of the progeny allow the rapid expansion of the hair follicle. Finally, we show the requirement of the mesenchyme for hair regeneration through targeted cell ablation and long-term tracking of live hair follicles. Thus, we have established an in vivo approach that has led to the direct observation of cellular mechanisms of growth regulation within the hair follicle and that has enabled us to precisely investigate functional requirements of hair-follicle components during the process of physiological regeneration.     

Scratching the surface of skin development

The epidermis and its appendages develop from a single layer of multipotent embryonic progenitor keratinocytes. Embryonic stem cells receive cues from their environment that instruct them to commit to a particular differentiation programme and generate a stratified epidermis, hair follicles or sebaceous glands. Exciting recent developments have focused on how adult skin epithelia maintain populations of stem cells for use in the natural cycles of hair follicle regeneration and for re-epithelialization in response to wounding.     

Dominant role of the niche in melanocyte stem-cell fate determination

Stem cells which have the capacity to self-renew and generate differentiated progeny are thought to be maintained in a specific environment known as a niche. The localization of the niche, however, remains largely obscure for most stem-cell systems. Melanocytes (pigment cells) in hair follicles proliferate and differentiate closely coupled to the hair regeneration cycle. Here we report that stem cells of the melanocyte lineage can be identified, using Dct-lacZ transgenic mice, in the lower permanent portion of mouse hair follicles throughout the hair cycle. It is only the population in this region that fulfils the criteria for stem cells, being immature, slow cycling, self-maintaining and fully competent in regenerating progeny on activation at early anagen (the growing phase of hair follicles). Induction of the re-pigmentation process in K14-steel factor transgenic mice demonstrates that a portion of amplifying stem-cell progeny can migrate out from the niche and retain sufficient self-renewing capability to function as stem cells after repopulation into vacant niches. Our data indicate that the niche has a dominant role in the fate determination of melanocyte stem-cell progeny.     

Mapping stem cell activities in the feather follicle

It is important to know how different organs 'manage' their stem cells. Both hair and feather follicles show robust regenerative powers that episodically renew the epithelial organ. However, the evolution of feathers (from reptiles to birds) and hairs (from reptiles to mammals) are independent events and their follicular structures result from convergent evolution. Because feathers do not have the anatomical equivalent of a hair follicle bulge, we are interested in determining where their stem cells are localized. By applying long-term label retention, transplantation and DiI tracing to map stem cell activities, here we show that feather follicles contain slow-cycling long-term label-retaining cells (LRCs), transient amplifying cells and differentiating keratinocytes. Each population, located in anatomically distinct regions, undergoes dynamic homeostasis during the feather cycle. In the growing follicle, LRCs are enriched in a 'collar bulge' niche. In the moulting follicle, LRCs shift to populate a papillar ectoderm niche near the dermal papilla. On transplantation, LRCs show multipotentiality. In a three-dimensional view, LRCs are configured as a ring that is horizontally placed in radially symmetric feathers but tilted in bilaterally symmetric feathers. The changing topology of stem cell activities may contribute to the construction of complex feather forms.     

大鼠胚胎毛囊发育的形态学观察

研究了大鼠胚胎发育过程中,毛囊的发生时间及其形态学结构变化.采用胎龄为11,12,14,15,17 d的Wistar大鼠胚胎,石蜡切片,HE和PAS染色,光镜观察毛囊胚芽的形态学发生.结果显示:第11天的胚胎周皮仍呈单层,未见毛囊形态发生;第12天胚胎可见数量较少的毛囊胚芽形成;随着胎龄的延长,毛囊的数量明显增加,且形态上逐渐增大.研究结果表明:大鼠胚胎毛囊的形态发生时间为胚胎第12天,是由表皮基底层细胞向真皮突出形成,其周围有间充质细胞聚集.     

Induction of hair growth by implantation of cultured dermal papilla cells

Mammalian hairs are formed by differentiation and keratinization of cells produced in the epidermal matrix (Figs 3, 4). Using the rodent vibrissa follicle as a model, transplantation studies have shown that the dermal papilla, a discrete population of specialized fibroblasts, is of prime importance in the growth of hair. Papillae induce hair growth when implanted into follicles and can interact with skin epidermis to form new hair follicles. When grown in culture, papilla cells display singular morphological and behavioural characteristics compared with connective tissue cells from other skin sources. We report here that serially cultured adult papilla cells can induce the growth of hair when implanted into follicles which otherwise would not grow hairs. This finding presents an opportunity to characterize properties distinguishing the papilla cell population from other skin fibroblasts, and, more specifically, those which control hair growth. The eventual application of this work to human hair replacement techniques can also be envisaged.     

Conditional telomerase induction causes proliferation of hair follicle stem cells

TERT, the protein component of telomerase, serves to maintain telomere function through the de novo addition of telomere repeats to chromosome ends, and is reactivated in 90% of human cancers. In normal tissues, TERT is expressed in stem cells and in progenitor cells, but its role in these compartments is not fully understood. Here we show that conditional transgenic induction of TERT in mouse skin epithelium causes a rapid transition from telogen (the resting phase of the hair follicle cycle) to anagen (the active phase), thereby facilitating robust hair growth. TERT overexpression promotes this developmental transition by causing proliferation of quiescent, multipotent stem cells in the hair follicle bulge region. This new function for TERT does not require the telomerase RNA component, which encodes the template for telomere addition, and therefore operates through a mechanism independent of its activity in synthesizing telomere repeats. These data indicate that, in addition to its established role in extending telomeres, TERT can promote proliferation of resting stem cells through a non-canonical pathway.     

毛囊干细胞及Noggin 对其调控作用的研究进展

摘要: 毛囊干细胞( HFSC) 通常能够分化为角质细胞、皮脂腺细胞和短暂扩充祖细胞,因其快速增殖的能力,HFSC为细胞的治疗提供了构建干细胞来源的基础。本综述将系统描述HFSC 的定位、培养以及分子标志物,为鉴定、分离细胞提供有力的参考。同时针对HFSC 增殖和分化调控的关键基因Noggin,从基因发现、分子功能等进行全面阐述,并结合BMP 信号通路叙述Noggin 调控HFSC 研究的最新进展。     

不同培养基对山羊毛囊体外培养的影响研究

为得到1种简捷而适宜的山羊毛囊体外培养方法,采用3因子3水平的拉丁方正交试验设计(L9(34))方法,对比研究了无血清的Williams E培养基、无血清的DMEM培养基和添加10％FCS(胎牛血清)的DMEM培养基,及其在3种培养基中分别添加0、2和10ng／mL 3种不同质量浓度的血管内皮细胞生长因子(VEGF)和表皮细胞生长因子(EGF)时对毛囊体外培养的影响。将成年青山羊皮肤上的单根毛囊完整地分离出来,并同时平行培养在9种培养基中,借助于倒置显微镜和目镜测微尺随时不断地观察毛囊生长的形态变化和测量毛根的长度。结果发现:山羊游离毛囊在9种培养基中均能很好地生长;但以无血清的培养基和在Williams E培养基的效果最好;分别和同时添加2％～10％的VEGF和EGF时可加快毛囊的生长;添加10％FCS和不添加细胞生长因子时毛囊也能生长,但生长速度较慢。     

犬皮肤毛囊的肿瘤病理诊断及分析

目的 犬皮肤毛囊肿瘤是兽医临床中最常见的肿瘤之一,可能也是送往诊断实验室最常见的组织病理学标 本,经常被送检要求进行组织病理学评估。 单纯靠临床特征进行诊断具有局限性,本文旨在对此类肿物进行系统 的组织病理学分类,以期和临床大体特征结合,进行更准确更高效的诊断。 方法 对 2018—2019 年不同单位送检 的犬皮肤毛囊的肿瘤(共 39 例)进行病理学诊断和分析,并对犬的品种、年龄、性别、肿瘤类别和性质等方面进行分 析,旨在探讨犬皮肤毛囊的肿瘤发生的规律和病理学特点。 结果 皮肤毛囊的肿瘤中,发病率最高的为毛母细胞 瘤,占比 73% ,在犬中最常见的类型为缎带型。 从发生的肿瘤性质来看,良性肿瘤发生率很高,占比 97% 。 从发病 年龄来看,发病率随着年龄的增长而有升高的趋势,即老年犬多发。 从发病性别来看,肿瘤的发生没有表现出明显 的性别偏好性。 结论 为今后犬皮肤毛囊的肿瘤诊断与鉴别诊断提供参考。     

BMP2，BMP4及BMP信号通路相关成员在发情周期小鼠子宫中的表达

研究目的：研究骨形态发生蛋白（BMP）2,4及BMP信号通路相关成员在发情周期小鼠子宫中的表达模式。创新要点：运用实时荧光定量聚合酶链式反应（PCR）系统地研究了Bmp2和Bmp4及其BMP信号通路相关成员在小鼠子宫中mRNA水平表达模式,同时运用免疫组化方法研究了BMP2蛋白在小鼠子宫中的定位模式。研究方法：重要结论：收集发情周期各个时期小鼠子宫,一侧子宫角贮存于液氮或-80℃冰箱用于实时荧光定量PCR,另一侧子宫角用40mg／ml多聚甲醛固定用于BMP2蛋白免疫组化定位。实时荧光定量PCR结果表明,Bmp2的表达水平在发情前期显著高于发情期和发情后期（P〈0．05）,Bmp4的表达水平呈现显著波动,但Bmp2与Bmp4差异不显著（P〉0．05）。Bmprla和Bmpr2的表达水平在整个发情周期无显著变化（P〉0．05）。然而,Bmprlb的mRNA水平在发情期显著下降（P〈0．05）,在发情后期上升。此外,Bmprlb的mRNA水平显著低于相应时期Bmprla和Bmpr2的mRNA水平（P〈0．05）。三种R—Smads差异地表达于小鼠子宫,并且Smad1和Smad5的表达水平显著高于Smad8（P〈0．05）。此外,Smad4的表达水平在整个发情周期无显著变化。免疫组化结果显示,BMP2蛋白在整个发情周期差异表达,并主要定位于子宫腔上皮细胞和腺上皮细胞。我们的结果提供了BMP2和BMP4及其BMP信号通路相关成员mRNA水平表达变化信息,这些数据为论证BMP在子宫内膜中的作用如子宫内膜的退化与重塑提供量化和有用的信息。     

新疆长白猪皮肤组织结构与人皮肤组织结构的比较

用常规病理切片技术,对新疆长白猪的皮肤组织结构与人的皮肤进行初步比较,为长白猪的实验动物化及治疗大面积烧伤提供生物敷料和相关的移植研究提供实验依据。结果表明,长白猪与人的皮肤在分层上相似,都是由表皮、真皮、皮下组织及皮肤的附属器构成。但也存在差异,长白猪皮肤的毛囊比人的毛囊粗大,汗腺多为大汗腺,极少有小汗腺,皮脂腺在分布位置上与人相同,但不发达,数量极少,胞浆中脂滴颗粒细小。但在新疆的特殊地理环境下培育数十年,长白猪是大面积深度烧伤治疗中异种皮片的提供者,也是创伤愈合机理研究及异种器官移植免疫排斥机制研究适合的动物模型。     

C_(57)BL/6遗传背景下无毛突变基因对胸腺及皮肤结构的影响

目的　探讨在C57BL/6背景下突变基因对胸腺及皮肤结构的影响。方法　观察脱毛规律 ,并用常规组织学方法对 19日龄正常C57BL/6小鼠及C57BL/6无毛小鼠的胸腺及皮肤结构进行了对比观察。结果　C57BL/6无毛小鼠 12日龄左右发生脱毛现象 ,2周左右时间除触须外全部脱净 ,并终生保持无毛状态 ;随年龄增长 ,头部、腹部和体侧形成特别的皱纹和褶痕 ,似犀牛状 ,指甲过度生长。皮肤有黑色素沉着 ,而且表面出现一些小的丘疹。组织学发现 19日龄C57BL/6无毛小鼠皮肤表皮有一层角化的角质层 ,毛干消失 ,毛囊腔宽大 ,在真皮深部可见毛球的残余部分 ,皮脂腺结构正常。 19日龄C57BL/6无毛小鼠胸腺的形态、结构与对照鼠无明显差异 ,但萎缩较早。结论　无毛突变基因影响C57BL/6小鼠的毛发周期和胸腺退化     

皮肤中儿茶酚胺类体液物质及毛囊与针刺效应的关系

通过对针刺穴位两端经络线上施加各种因素，观察了运动对针刺效尖的影响，进一步对其影响国素进行化分析和形态定位，结果表明，拔除经经毛囊和切断经线皮肤都可以明显地阻断针刺效应，而向皮肤经线切口滴加液体则能明显的改变再针刺效应，用高压液相色谱法检测到针刺可以使经线皮肤循经释放去甲肾上腺素，肾上腺素等儿茶酚胺类物质，其含量明显高于没有针刺的经线，用放射自显影技术观察到儿茶酚胺类物质的分布有明显的纵形线性特征     

Cutaneous cancer stem cell maintenance is dependent on beta-catenin signalling

Continuous turnover of epithelia is ensured by the extensive self-renewal capacity of tissue-specific stem cells. Similarly, epithelial tumour maintenance relies on cancer stem cells (CSCs), which co-opt stem cell properties. For most tumours, the cellular origin of these CSCs and regulatory pathways essential for sustaining stemness have not been identified. In murine skin, follicular morphogenesis is driven by bulge stem cells that specifically express CD34. Here we identify a population of cells in early epidermal tumours characterized by phenotypic and functional similarities to normal bulge skin stem cells. This population contains CSCs, which are the only cells with tumour initiation properties. Transplants derived from these CSCs preserve the hierarchical organization of the primary tumour. We describe beta-catenin signalling as being essential in sustaining the CSC phenotype. Ablation of the beta-catenin gene results in the loss of CSCs and complete tumour regression. In addition, we provide evidence for the involvement of increased beta-catenin signalling in malignant human squamous cell carcinomas. Because Wnt/beta-catenin signalling is not essential for normal epidermal homeostasis, such a mechanistic difference may thus be targeted to eliminate CSCs and consequently eradicate squamous cell carcinomas.     

Mammalian cochlear supporting cells can divide and trans-differentiate into hair cells

Sensory hair cells of the mammalian organ of Corti in the inner ear do not regenerate when lost as a consequence of injury, disease, or age-related deafness. This contrasts with other vertebrates such as birds, where the death of hair cells causes surrounding supporting cells to re-enter the cell cycle and give rise to both new hair cells and supporting cells. It is not clear whether the lack of mammalian hair cell regeneration is due to an intrinsic inability of supporting cells to divide and differentiate or to an absence or blockade of regenerative signals. Here we show that post-mitotic supporting cells purified from the postnatal mouse cochlea retain the ability to divide and trans-differentiate into new hair cells in culture. Furthermore, we show that age-dependent changes in supporting cell proliferative capacity are due in part to changes in the ability to downregulate the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(Kip1) (also known as Cdkn1b). These results indicate that postnatal mammalian supporting cells are potential targets for therapeutic manipulation.     

过表达 miRNA-320 对顺铂诱导卵巢早衰大鼠卵巢功能的影响

摘要:目的 探讨过表达 miRNA-320 对顺铂诱导卵巢早衰大鼠卵巢功能的影响。 方法 选择清洁级 SD 雌性大鼠32 只,随机分为 4 组:正常对照组、模型组、阴性对照组和 miRNA-320 过表达组,每组 8 只。 在实验过程中,每天观察各组大鼠饮食、活动和体毛等外在表现的差异。 采用 ELISA 检测各组大鼠血清中 E2、FSH、LH 的含量;采用 HE染色,光镜下观察各组大鼠卵巢组织形态学变化;采用 PCR 检测各组大鼠卵巢组织 miRNA-320、PGRMC1、BMP15的表达水平;采用 Western blot 检测各组大鼠卵巢组织中 PGRMC1、BMP15 的蛋白表达水平。 结果 与正常对照组相比,模型组大鼠活动迟缓、无精神、反应迟钝、食欲下降、体质量下降以及体毛暗淡无光泽;组织形态学分析表明,卵巢组织明显萎缩、皮质变薄、闭锁卵泡数目多以及间质纤维组织增多;血清 FSH、LH 显著升高,而血清 E2 及卵巢组织中 PGRMC1、BMP15 的蛋白和 mRNA 表达水平均降低,差异具有统计学意义( P< 0. 05) 。 与阴性对照组相比,miRNA-320 过表达组大鼠活动量增加、反应较为敏捷、进食增多、体毛逐渐有光泽;间质纤维化明显减轻、成熟卵泡数量明显增加、黄体数增多;血清 E2 的含量、卵巢组织中 PGRMC1、BMP15 的蛋白和 mRNA 的表达水平均升高,而FSH、LH 的含量降低( P<0. 05) 。 结论 顺铂可诱导卵巢早衰大鼠卵巢功能障碍,过表达 miRNA-320 可改善顺铂诱导的卵巢早衰大鼠的卵巢功能。