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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Isolating Hair Follicle Stem Cells and Epidermal Keratinocytes from Dorsal Mouse Skin
Published on: April 29, 2016
Hair Follicle Stem Cell Isolation and Expansion
Mindy Call1, Ewa Anna Meyer2,3, Winston W Kao1
1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Abstract:
Stem cells are widely used for numerous clinical applications including limbal stem cell deficiency. Stem cell derived from the bulge region of the hair follicle have the ability to differentiate into a variety of cell types including interfollicular epidermis, hair follicle structures, sebaceous glands and corneal epithelial cells when provided the appropriate cues. Hair follicle stem cells are being studied as a valuable source of autologous stem cells to treat disease. The protocol described below details the isolation and expansion of these cells for eventual clinical application. We used a dual-reporter mouse model to visualize both isolation and eventual differentiation of these cells in a limbal stem cell-deficient mouse model.
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