25 years of epidermal stem cell research.
This is a chronicle of concepts in the field of epidermal stem cell biology and a historic look at their development over time. The past 25 years have seen the evolution of epidermal stem cell science, from first fundamental studies to a sophisticated science. The study of epithelial stem cell biology was aided by the ability to visualize the distribution of stem cells and their progeny through lineage analysis studies. The excellent progress we have made in understanding epidermal stem cell biology is discussed in this article. The challenges we still face in understanding epidermal stem cells include defining molecular markers for stem and progenitor sub-populations, determining the locations and contributions of the different stem cell niches, and mapping regulatory pathways of epidermal stem cell proliferation and differentiation. However, our rapidly evolving understanding of epidermal stem cells has many potential uses that promise to translate into improved patient therapy.
Department of Dermatology and Epithelial Section, UCSF Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, San Francisco, California 94121, USA. ghadiallyr@derm.ucsf.edu
Ruby
R
Ghadially
D003585:Cell Biology / Q000266:history*; D003880:Dermatology / Q000266:history*; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000166:cytology; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D057905:Stem Cell Research / Q000266:history*