Hair Follicle Development in Mouse Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Skin Organoids

TLDR

Hair follicle development requires coordinated epidermal–dermal interactions, and although skin organoids from mouse pluripotent stem cells can self‑assemble into epidermal and dermal layers and produce hair follicles, recapitulating follicle induction in PSC cultures without primary cells or transplantation remains unclear. The study aims to derive skin organoids from a homogeneous population of mouse pluripotent stem cells in 3D culture. The authors generate organoids comprising epidermal and dermal layers by culturing mPSCs in a defined.

Abstract

Highlights•Skin organoids can be generated from mPSCs under defined conditions•Skin organoids are composed of self-assembled epidermal and dermal layers•Skin organoids produce hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and adipocytes•Hair follicle induction from skin organoids mimics normal hair folliculogenesisSummaryThe mammalian hair follicle arises during embryonic development from coordinated interactions between the epidermis and dermis. It is currently unclear how to recapitulate hair follicle induction in pluripotent stem cell cultures for use in basic research studies or in vitro drug testing. To date, generation of hair follicles in vitro has only been possible using primary cells isolated from embryonic skin, cultured alone or in a co-culture with stem cell-derived cells, combined with in vivo transplantation. Here, we describe the derivation of skin organoids, constituting epidermal and dermal layers, from a homogeneous population of mouse pluripotent stem cells in a 3D culture. We show that skin organoids spontaneously produce de novo hair follicles in a process that mimics normal embryonic hair folliculogenesis. This in vitro model of skin development will be useful for studying mechanisms of hair follicle induction, evaluating hair growth or inhibitory drugs, and modeling skin diseases.Graphical abstract