Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 27, 2026
06:51
Isolating Hair Follicle Stem Cells and Epidermal Keratinocytes from Dorsal Mouse Skin
Published on: April 29, 2016
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Treg-Cell Control of a CXCL5-IL-17 Inflammatory Axis Promotes Hair-Follicle-Stem-Cell Differentiation During
Anubhav N Mathur1, Bahar Zirak1, Ian C Boothby1
1Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Immunity
|March 21, 2019
Summary
Regulatory T (Treg) cells are crucial for skin barrier repair by controlling inflammation. Their depletion impairs healing and stem cell differentiation, highlighting their role in tissue regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Stem Cell Biology
- Dermatology
Background:
- Barrier tissue integrity relies on immune and stem cells (SCs).
- Hair-follicle stem cells (HFSCs) repair skin by differentiating after injury.
- Regulatory T (Treg) cells' role in this repair process is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the contribution of Treg cells to epidermal barrier repair after injury.
- To understand the mechanisms by which Treg cells influence HFSC differentiation and barrier regeneration.
Main Methods:
- SC fate-mapping to track HFSC contribution.
- Experimental depletion of Treg cells.
- Analysis of inflammatory responses (Th17) and gene expression (CXCL5).
- Intervention with CXCL5 blockade and neutrophil depletion.
Main Results:
- Depletion of Treg cells significantly impaired skin barrier regeneration.
- Impaired regeneration was linked to a Th17 inflammatory response and failed HFSC differentiation.
- Damaged epithelial cells expressed CXCL5, a neutrophil chemoattractant.
- Blocking CXCL5 or depleting neutrophils restored barrier function and HFSC differentiation.
Conclusions:
- Treg cell regulation of localized inflammation is essential for HFSC differentiation.
- This Treg cell-mediated process enables effective skin barrier regeneration.
- Findings have implications for maintaining and repairing other barrier tissues.
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