title: Hair follicle stem cells provide a functional niche for melanocyte stem cells.
abstract: In most stem cell systems, the organization of the stem cell niche and the anchoring matrix required for stem cell maintenance are largely unknown. We report here that collagen XVII (COL17A1/BP180/BPAG2), a hemidesmosomal transmembrane collagen, is highly expressed in hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) and is required for the maintenance not only of HFSCs but also of melanocyte stem cells (MSCs), which do not express Col17a1 but directly adhere to HFSCs. Mice lacking Col17a1 show premature hair graying and hair loss. Analysis of Col17a1-null mice revealed that COL17A1 is critical for the self-renewal of HFSCs through maintaining their quiescence and immaturity, potentially explaining the mechanism underlying hair loss in human COL17A1 deficiency. Moreover, forced expression of COL17A1 in basal keratinocytes, including HFSCs, in Col17a1-null mice rescues MSCs from premature differentiation and restores TGF-β signaling, demonstrating that HFSCs function as a critical regulatory component of the MSC niche.
authors.affiliation: Department of Stem Cell Medicine, Cancer Research Institute, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanimura
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tadokoro
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inomata
authors.forename: Nguyen Thanh
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Binh
authors.forename: Wataru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nishie
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Hiromitsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakauchi
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: McMillan
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sawamura
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yancey
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Emi K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Nishimura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII
chemical_list: D001324:Autoantigens; D024041:Non-Fibrillar Collagens; D000097805:Collagen Type XVII