Sox9 regulates melanocytic fate decision of adult hair follicle stem cells

The bulge of hair follicles harbors Nestin(+) (neural crest like) stem cells, which exhibit the potential to generate various cell types including melanocytes. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of Sox9, an important regulator during neural crest development, in melanocytic differentiation of those adult Nestin(+) cells. Immunohistochemical analysis after conditional Sox9 deletion in Nestin(+) cells of adult mice revealed that Sox9 is crucial for melanocytic differentiation of these cells and that Sox9 acts as a fate determinant between melanocytic and glial fate. A deeper understanding of factors that regulate fate decision, proliferation and differentiation of these stem cells provides new aspects to melanoma research as melanoma cells share many similarities with neural crest cells. In summary, we here show the important role of Sox9 in melanocytic versus glial fate decision of Nestin(+) stem cells in the skin of adult mice.