Skin vasculature and hair follicle cross-talking associated with stem cell activation and tissue homeostasis
Abstract
Skin vasculature cross-talking with hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) is poorly understood. Skin vasculature undergoes dramatic remodeling during adult mouse hair cycle. Specifically, a horizontal plexus under the secondary hair germ (HPuHG) transiently neighbors the HFSC activation zone during the quiescence phase (telogen). Increased density of HPuHG can be induced by reciprocal mutations in the epithelium (Runx1) and endothelium (Alk1) in adult mice, and is accompanied by prolonged HFSC quiescence and by delayed entry and progression into the hair growth phase (anagen). Suggestively, skin vasculature produces BMP4, a well-established HFSC quiescence-inducing factor, thus contributing to a proliferation-inhibitory environment near the HFSC. Conversely, the HFSC activator Runx1 regulates secreted proteins with previously demonstrated roles in vasculature remodeling. We suggest a working model in which coordinated remodeling and molecular cross-talking of the adult epithelial and endothelial skin compartments modulate timing of HFSC activation from quiescence for proper tissue homeostasis of adult skin.
Data availability
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files
Article and author information
Author details
Funding
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (RO1 AR070157)
- Tudorita Tumbar
NYSTEM (DOH01-C30293GG-3450000)
- Prachi Jain
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (AR073806)
- Tudorita Tumbar
The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.
Reviewing Editor
- Valerie Horsley, Yale University, United States
Ethics
Animal experimentation: Mouse work followed the Cornell University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee guidelines. IACUC protocol # 2007-0125.
Version history
- Received: February 10, 2019
- Accepted: July 25, 2019
- Accepted Manuscript published: July 25, 2019 (version 1)
- Version of Record published: August 6, 2019 (version 2)
Copyright
© 2019, Li et al.
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.
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