Abstract
The skin is a unique organ that contains a variety of stem cells for the maintenance of skin homeostasis and the repair of skin tissues following injury and disease. Skin-derived stem cells (SDSCs) constitute a heterogeneous population of stem cells generated in vitro from dermis, which can be cultured as spherical aggregates of cells in suspension culture. Under certain in vitro or in vivo conditions, SDSCs show multipotency and can generate a variety of neural, mesodermal, and endodermal cell types such as neurons, glia, fibroblasts, adipocytes, muscle cells, chondroblasts, osteoblats, and islet β-cell-like cells. SDSCs are likely derived from multipotent stem cells located in the hair follicles that are, in turn, derived from embryonic migratory neural crest or mesoderm cells. During the past decade, a wave of reports have shown that germ cells can be generated from various types of stem cells. It has been shown that SDSCs are able to produce primordial germ cell-like cells in vitro, and even oocyte-like cells (OLCs). Whether these germ cell-like cells (GCLCs) can give rise to viable progeny remains, however, unknown. In this review, we will discuss the origin and characteristics of SDSCs from which the GCLC are derived, the possible mechanisms of this differentiation process, and finally the prospective biomedical applications of the SDSC-derived GCLCs.
Highlights
Many studies indicate that skin-derived stem cells (SDSCs) showed multiple differentiation repertoire in vitro and may even give rise to germ cells
What do we know about germ cells from skin? Whether artificial germ cells induced from SDSCs can be used as candidates for human infertility and premature ovarian failure treatment?
Previous studies indicated that a steady flow of differentiating keratinocytes in the epidermis supplied by relatively rare epidermal stem cells, located in the basal layer and in the deep rete ridges of the epidermis, are responsible for epidermis homeostasis;[2,3,4] recent studies indicated that basal epidermal cell constitute an equipotent pool of progenitors in the murine ear and paw epidermis.[5]
Summary
Why SDSCs with limited differentiation potential showed surprising differentiation repertoire in vitro?. Skin is one of the few organs in mammals that continuously self-renews most of its tissue components (epidermis and dermis) and structures (hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands), even into adulthood This extraordinary property is because of the presence of various types of stem cells located in the epidermis, dermis, and the hair follicles.[1] Previous studies indicated that a steady flow of differentiating keratinocytes in the epidermis supplied by relatively rare epidermal stem cells, located in the basal layer and in the deep rete ridges of the epidermis, are responsible for epidermis homeostasis;[2,3,4] recent studies indicated that basal epidermal cell constitute an equipotent pool of progenitors in the murine ear and paw epidermis.[5] mesenchymal stem cells, characterized by typical mesenchymal markers and with multipotent differentiation capacity, are localized in the dermis, while melanocytes stem cells, able to produce new melanocytes, are present in the hair follicles.[6,7] In hair follicles a population of stem cells reside in a discrete microenvironment called the bulge (Figure 1). The bulge region is located at the base of the hair follicle, established during morphogenesis, and does not degenerate during the hair growth cycle.[8,9] During the hair cycle, the bulge stem cells are stimulated to exit their niche, proliferate, and differentiate to form the various cell types of a mature hair follicle.[10,11] In addition to the bulge stem
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