Photoactivation of ROS Production in Situ Transiently Activates Cell Proliferation in Mouse Skin and in the hair Follicle Stem Cell Niche Promoting Hair Growth and Wound Healing

CausticSymmetry Fri Jul 10, 2015 3:54 pm

J Invest Dermatol. 2015 Jul 2. doi: 10.1038/jid.2015.248. [Epub ahead of print]
Photoactivation of ROS Production in Situ Transiently Activates Cell Proliferation in Mouse Skin and in the hair Follicle Stem Cell Niche Promoting Hair Growth and Wound Healing.

The role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the regulation of hair follicle cycle and skin homeostasis is poorly characterized. ROS have been traditionally linked to human disease and ageing, but recent findings suggest that can also have beneficial physiological functions in vivo in mammals. To test this hypothesis, we transiently switched on in situ ROS production in mouse skin. This process activated cell proliferation in the tissue and, interestingly, in the bulge region of the hair follicle, a major reservoir of epidermal stem cells, promoting hair growth as well as stimulating tissue repair after severe burn injury. We further show that these effects were associated with a transient Src kinase phosphorylation at Tyr416 and with a strong transcriptional activation of the prolactin family 2 subfamily c of growth factors. Our results point to potentially relevant modes of skin homeostasis regulation and demonstrate that a local and transient ROS production can regulate stem cell and tissue function in the whole organism.Journal of Investigative Dermatology accepted article preview online, 02 July 2015. doi:10.1038/jid.2015.248.