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Stem cells in the epidermis
R F O'Shaughnessy1, A M Christiano
1Department of Dermatology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology
|October 13, 2001
Abstract:
The epidermis consists of three actively proliferating units, the interfollicular epidermis, the hair follicle, and the sebaceous gland. Stem cells in the epidermis have the capacity to produce all three of these units. The fate of the epidermal stem cells and some of their progeny can be altered, dependent on the environment in which they reside and the genes they express. In this review, we describe the major experiments that have contributed to the understanding of the epidermal stem cells and the control of their fate.