title: Epidermal label-retaining cells: background and recent applications.
abstract: Epidermal label-retaining cells (LRC) can be identified by giving neonatal mice repeated injections of 3H-thymidine or 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine and then finding the cells that are still labelled in adulthood. Although label retention is simply a marker of the proliferative history of a cell, there is, nevertheless, evidence that it is a characteristic of epidermal stem cells. Here we review the early literature on LRC and then highlight two recent applications. We describe how LRC can be visualized by whole-mount labelling of the epidermis and how purified LRC can be used to screen for markers of the epidermal stem cell compartment.
authors.affiliation: Keratinocyte Laboratory, Cancer Research UK London Research Institute, London, UK.
authors.forename: Kristin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: Fiona M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Watt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D013936:Thymidine / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D014316:Tritium
chemical_list: D014316:Tritium; D013936:Thymidine