Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Spatial and Temporal Control of Murine Melanoma Initiation from Mutant Melanocyte Stem Cells
Published on: June 7, 2019
Wounding mobilizes hair follicle stem cells to form tumors
Sunny Y Wong1, Jeremy F Reiter
1Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
Abstract:
A wide variety of human cancers are associated with injury. Although stem cells participate in tissue regeneration after wounding, it is unclear whether these cells also contribute to epithelial tumors. Human basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are associated with misactivation of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling, commonly through acquisition of mutations in Smoothened (Smo). We have found that expression of an activated form of Smo by stem cells of the hair-follicle bulge and secondary hair germ does not induce robust Hh signaling or produce BCCs. However, wounding recruits these cells from the follicle to the wound site, where downstream Hh signal transduction is derepressed, giving rise to superficial BCC-like tumors. These findings demonstrate that BCC-like tumors can originate from follicular stem cells and provide an explanation for the association between wounding and tumorigenesis.
Related Concept Videos
Multipotency and Niche of Bulge Stem Cell
Renewal of Skin Epidermal Stem Cells
Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Maintenance
Cancer stem cells are thought to originate from tissue-specific normal stem cells or progenitor cells. The normal stem cells usually reside in...
Skin Cancer
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): BCC is the most common type of skin cancer, accounting for about 80% of cases. It typically develops in...
Accessory Structures of the Skin: Hair Growth and Types
Clinical Applications of Epidermal Stem Cells

