Nerve Growth and Interaction in Gelfoam^® Histoculture: A Nervous System Organoid

Nestin-expressing hair follicle-associated pluripotent (HAP) stem cells reside mainly in the bulge area (BA) of the hair follicle but also in the dermal papilla (DP). The BA appears to be origin of HAP stem cells. Long-term Gelfoam^® histoculture was established of whiskers isolated from transgenic mice, in which there is nestin-driven green fluorescent protein (ND-GFP). HAP stem cells trafficked from the BA toward the DP area and extensively grew out onto Gelfoam^® forming nerve-like structures. These fibers express the neuron marker β-III tubulin-positive fibers and consisted of ND-GFP-expressing cells and extended up to 500 mm from the whisker nerve stump in Gelfoam^® histoculture. The growing fibers had growth cones on their tips expressing F-actin indicating that the fibers were growing axons. HAP stem cell proliferation resulted in elongation of the follicle nerve and interaction with other nerves in 3D Gelfoam^® histoculture, including the sciatic nerve, trigeminal nerve, and trigeminal nerve ganglion.