Discovery of Hair-Follicle-Associated Pluripotent Stem Cells
January 2016
in “
Methods in molecular biology
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TLDR HAP stem cells in hair follicles could help repair nerves and spinal cords.
Researchers discovered hair-follicle-associated pluripotent (HAP) stem cells by using transgenic mice with green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the nestin promoter. These nestin-expressing cells were found in the bulge area of hair follicles during different hair cycle phases, suggesting a relationship between neural stem cells and hair follicle stem cells. The study highlighted the potential of these HAP stem cells for various regenerative applications, including nerve and spinal cord repair.
