Background: The dermal papillae (DP) is located at the base of the hair follicle and controls hair cycling. From chick and mouse embryology studies, it is suggested that the origin of dermal papilla cells (DPCs) in the scalp of the occipital area was derived from somitic mesoderm, and that of the scalp crown is from neural crest. However, the origin of DP and DPC has not been fully established in humans.
Aim: To characterize the differentiation of human dermal papilla cells (DPCs) from iPSC through neural crest and somitic mesoderm pathways.
Methods: Human iPSCs were differentiated to neural crest and somitic mesoderm with conditioned medium according to methods developed from previous studies. Neural crest and somitic mesoderm markers were observed during differentiation. After the cells expressed neural crest and somitic mesoderm markers, the cells underwent further differentiation to DPCs consistent with published articles.
Result: Reverse-transcriptase PCR, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence analyses were used to characterize the expression of markers associated with neural crest and somatic mesoderm differentiation. At ten days of iPSC differentiation to neural crest, the cells expressed the neural crest markers FoxD3, Sox10, Snail, and Slug. At approximately twelve days of iPSC differentiation to somitic mesoderm, the cells expressed mesodermal markers, such as Brachyury, Mesogenin1, and Pax3. After further differentiation to DPCs, the cells started to express DPC markers, such as versican, NCAM, and fibroblast growth factor-7 (FGF-7).
Conclusion: Different gene expression profiles were observed during differentiation of DPC-like cells via neural crest and somitic mesoderm.
Significance: Differentiated DPCs may be derived through neural crest and somatic mesoderm pathways.