| First Author | Koren E | Year | 2022 |
| Journal | Nat Commun | Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 4628 |
| PubMed ID | 35941116 | Mgi Jnum | J:327274 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7329419 | Doi | 10.1038/s41467-022-31629-1 |
| Citation | Koren E, et al. (2022) Thy1 marks a distinct population of slow-cycling stem cells in the mouse epidermis. Nat Commun 13(1):4628 |
| abstractText | The presence of distinct stem cells that maintain the interfollicular epidermis is highly debated. Here, we report a population of keratinocytes, marked by Thy1, in the basal layer of the interfollicular epidermis. We find that epidermal cells expressing differential levels of Thy1 display distinct transcriptional signatures. Thy1(+) keratinocytes do not express T cell markers, express a unique transcriptional profile, cycle significantly slower than basal epidermal progenitors and display significant expansion potential in vitro. Multicolor lineage tracing analyses and mathematical modeling reveal that Thy1(+) basal keratinocytes do not compete neutrally alike interfollicular progenitors and contribute long-term to both epidermal replenishment and wound repair. Importantly, ablation of Thy1(+) cells strongly impairs these processes, thus indicating the non-redundant function of Thy1(+) stem cells in the epidermis. Collectively, these results reveal a distinct stem cell population that plays a critical role in epidermal homeostasis and repair. |
