The Middle Part of the Plucked Hair Follicle Outer Root Sheath Is Identified as an Area Rich in Lineage-Specific Stem Cell Markers
Hanluo Li,
Federica Francesca Masieri,
Marie Schneider,
Alexander Bartella,
Sebastian Gaus,
Sebastian Hahnel,
Rüdiger Zimmerer,
Ulrich Sack,
Danijela Maksimovic-Ivanic,
Sanja Mijatovic,
Jan-Christoph Simon,
Bernd Lethaus,
Vuk Savkovic
Affiliations
Hanluo Li
Department of Cranial Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Federica Francesca Masieri
School of (EAST) Engineering, Arts, Science & Technology, University of Suffolk, Ipswich IP 41QJ, UK
Marie Schneider
Clinic for Hematology, Cell Therapy and Hemostaseology, University Hospital Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Alexander Bartella
Department of Cranial Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Sebastian Gaus
Department of Cranial Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Sebastian Hahnel
Polyclinic for Dental Prosthetics and Material Sciences, University Hospital Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Rüdiger Zimmerer
Department of Cranial Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Ulrich Sack
Medical Faculty, Institute for Clinical Immunology, University Hospital Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Danijela Maksimovic-Ivanic
Department of Immunology, Institute for Biological Research ‘Sinisa Stankovic’ (IBISS)-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Sanja Mijatovic
Department of Immunology, Institute for Biological Research ‘Sinisa Stankovic’ (IBISS)-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Jan-Christoph Simon
Clinic for Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Bernd Lethaus
Department of Cranial Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Vuk Savkovic
Department of Cranial Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Hair follicle outer root sheath (ORS) is a putative source of stem cells with therapeutic capacity. ORS contains several multipotent stem cell populations, primarily in the distal compartment of the bulge region. However, the bulge is routinely obtained using invasive isolation methods, which require human scalp tissue ex vivo. Non-invasive sampling has been standardized by means of the plucking procedure, enabling to reproducibly obtain the mid-ORS part. The mid-ORS shows potential for giving rise to multiple stem cell populations in vitro. To demonstrate the phenotypic features of distal, middle, and proximal ORS parts, gene and protein expression profiles were studied in physically separated portions. The mid-part of the ORS showed a comparable or higher NGFR, nestin/NES, CD34, CD73, CD44, CD133, CK5, PAX3, MITF, and PMEL expression on both protein and gene levels, when compared to the distal ORS part. Distinct subpopulations of cells exhibiting small and round morphology were characterized with flow cytometry as simultaneously expressing CD73/CD271, CD49f/CD105, nestin, and not CK10. Potentially, these distinct subpopulations can give rise to cultured neuroectodermal and mesenchymal stem cell populations in vitro. In conclusion, the mid part of the ORS holds the potential for yielding multiple stem cells, in particular mesenchymal stem cells.
