Characterization of human epidermal neural crest stem cell (hEPI‐NCSC) candidate cells

Abstract

We provide the first comprehensive characterization of hEPI‐NCSC candidate cells. Mouse EPI‐NCSC are multipotent remnants of the embryonic neural crest in a postnatal location, the bulge of hair follicles. Here, the bulge region of human anagen hair follicles was micro‐dissected from pubic skin that was procured with informed consent after elective Caesarean section. Emigrating cells were multipotent, as progeny of clone‐forming cells differentiated into smooth muscle cells, neuroblasts, and bone/cartilage cells. Gene expression profiling using the Illumina platform suggested that 17/18 mouse neural crest molecular signature genes identifiable in humans were also highly abundant in hEPI‐NCSC (PCBP4, MSX2, H1FX, PYGO2, THOP1, MYO10, ETS1, PYGO2, ADAM12, BEX1, VDAC1, CALR, CRYAB, PEG10 AGPAT6, CRMP1, UBE4B). Expression of eight of those genes, nestin and the neural crest marker SOX10, was validated by immunocytochemistry. Additional key neural crest‐characteristic genes included WNT1, SNAI2, MSX1, PAX9 and TNFRSF1B (p75NTR). The iPS genes MYC, KLF4, LIN28, and SOX2 were present at highly significant levels. Taken together, the data suggest that hEPI‐NCSC are multipotent cells of neural crest origin.