Fig. 3.
hfSCs without BMP signaling maintain stem cell characteristics and their multipotency in vivo. (A and F) Cultured YFP+ hfSCs from CONRU and cKORU HFs were mixed with freshly isolated dermal fibroblasts from newborn mice (1:1 ratio) and engrafted into athymic mice (B, G, C, and H). Two weeks after engraftment both grafted regions from CONRU and cKORU were healed and covered by YFP+ epidermis. (D and I) Eight weeks after engraftment, the CONRU but not cKORU grafted region presented visible hair shafts on the skin surface. (E and J) Skin sections of the CONRU and cKORU grafts showed YFP+ epidermis and HFs, but the cKORU grafts lacked differentiated hair shafts. In vitro and in vivo experiments were repeated in triplicate (n = 3) using two independent FACS-isolated cell lines for both the cKORU and CONRU hfSCs. (Scale bars: 50 µm.)