Distinct Mechanisms for Sebaceous Gland Self-Renewal and Regeneration Provide Durability in Response to Injury

September 2023 in “ Cell Reports ”

Natalia A. Veniaminova, Yunlong Jia, Adrien M. Hartigan, Thomas J. Huyge, Shih-Ying Tsai, Marina Grachtchouk, Seitaro Nakagawa, Andrzej A. Dlugosz, Scott X. Atwood, Sunny Y. Wong

sebaceous glands stem cells sebocytes hair follicles hair follicle bulge stem cells FGFR2 signaling

TLDR Sebaceous glands can regenerate after injury using stem cells from hair follicles.

Sebaceous glands (SGs) are primarily self-renewed by dedicated stem cell pools under normal conditions, with progenitors differentiating into sebocytes through direct and indirect pathways. However, when the skin is injured, SG progenitors leave their niche to help heal the wound and are replaced by stem cells from hair follicles. Remarkably, even after the genetic ablation of over 99% of SGs, they regenerate within weeks, a process driven by hair follicle bulge stem cells and dependent on FGFR2 signaling. This regeneration can be accelerated by inducing hair growth, highlighting the plasticity and durability of SGs in response to injury.

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