干细胞 z-bo 2020-11-23 448

　　Thomas Hornyak, a colleague of the VA Maryland Healthcare System and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and his colleagues reported that some of the stem cells in the hair follicles may regenerate the coating, thereby insulating the mice's neurons. In PLOS Genetics. This research provides a new direction for finding treatment options for certain neurodegenerative diseases.

　　Due to the pigment produced by cells called melanocytes, hair and skin show different shades of red, brown, black and yellow. Melanocytes originate from cell embryos called neural crest cells, which can also produce neurons and the glial cells that they support. Earlier, Hornyak and colleagues discovered two different stem cell pockets that produce melanocytes in mature hair follicles. In the current study, they showed that two groups of melanocyte stem cells can be identified and separated based on whether they are coated in a glycoprotein called CD34, which is a surface molecule that exists on other types of stem cells, including stem cells . blood.

　　Using mouse hair follicles, the researchers isolated two melanocyte stem cell populations and cultured them in a culture medium. They were surprised to find that CD34-carrying cells became glial cells. In the nervous system, glial cells coat neurons with a fatty insulator called myelin, which increases the speed at which nerve impulses can travel. In addition, the researchers found that CD34-positive stem cells can regenerate myelin sheath in nerve cells, whether in cell culture or injected into mice with genetic defects, these genetic defects prevent them from forming myelin sheath.

　　The new findings indicate that the pockets of CD34-positive melanocyte stem cells in hair follicles retain some of their early capabilities. If similar populations exist in human hair follicles, new treatments for nerve damage and demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, may be developed. "In the future, we plan to continue our research in this field by determining whether these cells can enhance the functional recovery of neuronal damage," said author Dr. Thomas Hornyak, "and use the genome-wide information we describe in the current study to identify the human body Similar cells in the skin."