Self-assembling peptide hydrogel scaffolds support stem cell-based hair follicle regeneration.
Recent studies show that designer peptide nanofibers can mimic properties of extracellular matrix molecules, promising great potential as scaffold materials for tissue engineering. However, their ability in supporting organogenesis has not been studied. Here we examined the effect of self-assembling peptide hydrogels in supporting skin derived precursors (SKPs) in hair follicle neogenesis. We found that hydrogels formed by RADA16, PRG which contains RGD, and particularly the combination of RADA16 and PRG (RADA-PRG) enhanced SKP proliferation. Notably, the RADA-PRG hydrogel, which exhibited advantages of RADA16 in adequate nanofiber formation and PRG in providing the integrin binding sequence, exhibited superior effects in enhancing SKP survival, expression of hair induction signature genes such as Akp2 and Bmp6, and more importantly de novo hair genesis in mice. Thus our results suggest that RADA-PRG may serve as a novel scaffold material for stem cell transplantation and tissue engineering.
School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, China; The Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Health Sciences and Technology, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, China.
Xiaoxiao
X
Wang
The Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Health Sciences and Technology, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, China.
Jinmei
J
Wang
The Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Health Sciences and Technology, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, China.
Ling
L
Guo
School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, China; The Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Health Sciences and Technology, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, China.
Xusheng
X
Wang
School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, China; The Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Health Sciences and Technology, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, China; Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (TBSI), Tsinghua University, China.
Haiyan
H
Chen
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, China.
Xiumei
X
Wang
Medical Key Laboratory of Health Toxicology of Shenzhen, Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, China.
Jianjun
J
Liu
Wound Healing Research Group, Department of Surgery, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Edward E
EE
Tredget
The Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Health Sciences and Technology, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, China; Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (TBSI), Tsinghua University, China. Electronic address: wu.yaojiong@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn.
Yaojiong
Y
Wu
D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival; D018859:Hair Follicle / Q000254:growth & development*; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; D020100:Hydrogels; D051379:Mice; D057139:Nanofibers; D010455:Peptides; D013234:Stem Cells; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
D020100:Hydrogels; D010455:Peptides; C546681:RADA16-I; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate
Hair follicle neogenesis; PRG; Peptide hydrogel; RADA16; Skin derived precursors