Impaired differentiation potential of CD34-positive cells derived from mouse hair follicles after long-term culture

Hair follicle epithelial stem cells (HFSCs), which exist in the bulge region, have important functions for homeostasis of skin as well as hair follicle morphogenesis. Although several methods for isolation of HFSCs using a variety of stem cell markers have been reported, few investigations regarding culture methods or techniques to yield long-term maintenance of HFSCs in vitro have been conducted. In the present study, we screened different types of commercially available culture medium for culturing HFSCs. Among those tested, one type was shown capable of supporting the expression of stem cell markers in cultured HFSCs. However, both the differentiation potential and in vivo hair follicle-inducing ability of HFSCs serially passaged using that optimal medium were found to be impaired, probably because of altered responsiveness to Wnt signaling. The changes noted in HFSCs subjected to a long-term culture suggested that the Wnt signaling-related environment must be finely controlled for maintenance of the cells.